10 Hacks For Ordering At Denny's Everyone Should Know

Just because a kitchen has a brand name attached to it doesn't make it any less of a kitchen, and by extension, a place that's open to culinary experimentation once cooking commences. Take Denny's kitchens. Despite existing under a corporate moniker, they're filled with many of the tastiest ingredients you might use in your own recipes: brioche breads, dozens of eggs, fresh hamburger, bacon, spices. You name it. The restaurant's scullery probably has it. That's why it's so fun to make up foodie hacks for your own personal Denny's secret menu.

From a practical standpoint, however, one of the chief differences between your kitchen and the local Denny's galley is that you're not the one standing in front of the grill, pulling together new recipes with existing ingredients. The line cook working the shift at Denny's is, which means you'll have to work as a team if you wanna see these hacks come to life. Think of it this way. You're the idea person. The cook is the implementer.

Fortunately, these made-up meals are built from dishes or ingredients that already exist on the Denny's lineup, so they're not difficult to concoct. You'll just need to reconfigure the dishes on the menu to make them into something new and delish by adding an ingredient here and subtracting one over there. And once you finally do get to try these revised meals, you'll wonder why you never thought of making these specialty items before. Alas, all you can do in this situation, then, is to make up for lost time by chowing down once the refashioned dishes come to the table.

It's probably fair to say that traditional taco lovers usually head straight for the tried-and-true umami-and-spice flavoring that comes from your standard ground beef-stuffed crunchy corn shell. Taco fans that are flirting with the wild side might be down for the sweet-and-savory flavors they get from mango beef tacos. True taco rebels, however, will be inclined to skip the beef and even the customary shell altogether. But what to replace them with? Why, any culinary guerrilla worth their salt knows the answer to this: crispy fried chicken tenders wrapped in soft pancake shells and smothered in syrup.

Such a concoction won't be found at your favorite Mexican food truck. However, if you're brave enough to try this combo in public, you'll find all of the makings for it at your local Denny's. You just need to be willing to build your own taco. First up are your standard Denny's pancakes, which are made fresh daily. However, this bespoke taco might also taste pretty yummy if you substitute some of the chain's cinnamon roll pancakes in place of the standard short stack. This is the route to go if you want to amp up the sweet-and-savory elements of this dish.

Next, you'll lather some whipped butter onto the pancakes and fill those sweet pieces of flat bread with some of Denny's chicken tenders. Then, create a cradle of a shell from said pancake. For the full effect, make it look like a taco shell. Add some syrup. And then, finally, pick up the pancake-chicken wrap with your fingers and enjoy your street-taco-meets-comfort-food mash-up meal in style.

For burger lovers who also adore pizza, a pie laden with hamburger is Americanized Italian food done right. The only thing missing is the bun. Seasoned junk foodies don't take this predicament lying down. Instead, they head to Denny's, where they can deliver the whole balance of flavor in this mash-up meal. To make it happen, they top their burgers with some of the most critical flavors of the pizza pie: savory marinara sauce and stringy mozzarella cheese.

If you're up for building a pizza burger of your own at Denny's, you'll first need to order one of the restaurant's cheeseburgers. Then you'll add four or five of the fast casual restaurant's fried mozzarella sticks and a thick blanket of the red sauce from Denny's starter menu atop your burger. (Not to worry. It comes on the side.) The addition of mozzarella and the tomato-based sauce mimics the key flavors of pizza, tricking your taste buds into thinking they're chowing on a burger-topped pie. The sandwich comes with your choice of cheese: Swiss, American, or aged white cheddar. (It may not be one of the wildest burgers you can order in America, but still, it's plenty tasty.)

The only way you'd fill this burger with any more flavor is if you swapped out the plain cheeseburger and replaced it with the avocado and bacon burger or bourbon bacon burger. Bacon, another favorite on a meaty pizza, plays a starring role on those two burgers. This makes the switcheroo a no-brainer for the casual food fans who never want to have to choose between a hearty burger or a savory pizza pie.

Some chain restaurants' chicken and waffle dishes come assembled, ready to eat. At Denny's, if you want to try a plate of this staple that originated among African Americans, you'll have to do the assembling yourself. You'll likely find it worth the effort once the dish comes together. Classic chicken and waffles are usually made with fried chicken and buttermilk waffles covered over with some kind of syrup. Bringing the dish's basic building blocks to your table starts with an order of Denny's Liège-style waffle. As for the chicken tenders, look for those on the restaurant's dinners and skillets page. 

To give your makeshift chicken platter a solid punch of Southern flavor, why not improvise a tasty sauce for your meal, too. The fast casual restaurant offers a couple of sauces worth looking at for this foodie makeover. Barbecue sauce would probably taste downright delish on the chicken. Same goes for honey mustard. You do also have the option of making your own sauce. For that, consider spicing up either plain honey or some maple syrup with a sprinkling of garlic powder, if the restaurant carries it. Or put a little sriracha sauce in the honey to kick the spice up one or two (or 10) levels.

Finally, there's a bonus with all of this. The chicken tenders dinner automatically comes with fries. It's unlikely that you'll end the meal feeling hungry with all of that fried potato goodness to top things off.

Here's an idea that was stolen from other restaurant chains. (Shhhh!) Jack in the Box and Burger King used to serve them, and Runza (a hot pockets sandwich chain that originated in Nebraska) still does. They're called "frings." For the uninitiated, you're looking at a collision of words and ingredients, in this case "french fries" and "onion rings," the chief ingredients in frings. You won't find those items in a single order at Denny's, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy them whenever you want. This flavor merger is so easy you won't even need to put on your chef's hat. Simply ask for an order of fries and a separate plate of onion rings and mix 'em once the plates get to your table.

It's also worth noting that Denny's actually carries two kinds of french fries: seasoned and wavy cut. A true motley collection of flavors is made if you insist on adding both types of fries to this lineup. Of course, you'll need at least one of Denny's sauces, too, to flavor up this already yummy snack blend. And to really make your palate sing, you may just want to throw in a burger to go with all those frings.

Like most diner-type restaurants, Denny's offers some yummy desserts: Caramel Apple Pie Crisp. Cookie Dough Lover's Pie. Brownie sundae with chunks of Oreo cookies. And that doesn't even include milkshakes if you consider such items desserts. (We do!) But the chain doesn't have so many desserts that it couldn't use at least one more. To that end, may we suggest adding doughnuts topped with ice cream that's been smothered under a thick coating of chocolate to the dessert list?

You're probably thinking that Denny's doesn't carry such a sweet treat. And to that we say: "Au contraire, mon dessert-lovin' frère." The chain has all the building blocks for said sweet treat. You just need to rope your man (or woman) behind the line to assemble it for you in the restaurant's kitchen. The doughnuts, or maple-stuffed donut holes, as Denny's calls them, are found under the specialty pancakes section of the menu. For the ice cream and the chocolate sauce, you'll talk your server into borrowing those items from the brownie sundae on the dessert menu -– not exactly, but in principle. Once the separate ingredients are located, it's just a matter of arranging some doughnut holes on a plate and topping them with ice cream and chocolate sauce. And if you're really trying to make this dessert beyond decadent, throw in a few of the Oreo cookie bits, too.

Mashed potatoes smothered in gravy –- brown or white sausage gravy -– counts among the default recipes you'll find when you visit a diner-style restaurant such as Denny's. That goes without saying. But do you want to know when you can spot a real pro hack-eater in a fast casual restaurant? It's when they skip the sausage gravy on the mashed potatoes and pour it instead on top of their favorite fried taters. Now, the potatoes in question could be those small chunks of tasty tubers that are stock items on a breakfast plate. However, this Denny's hack is also lip-smackin' good when you try it with french fries, too. It may be better even, though that might be up for debate.

For those who'd like to try this combo at their morning meal, the Denny's spuds to try are the seasoned red-skinned potatoes. Look also for a cup of sausage gravy. As for the french fries, you'll find those in with the restaurant's sides options. Both types of potatoes are yummy options, though there is an argument to be made for trying this tater toss-up with the spicy fries, creating more of a flavor bomb in your mouth. Finally, you'll get some bonus tongue ticklers if you add other ingredients to the pile, such as scrambled eggs and grated cheese, too. So yum!

Given its chi chi hipster reputation and proclivity toward pairing with artisan bread, avocado toast isn't necessarily something you'd expect to see on a diner menu, even if said diner is part of a national chain. And yet, there are avocados in abundance on the bill of fare at Denny's restaurants. Take its avocado bacon cheeseburger. That dish certainly isn't stingy with its serving of the green fruit. For avocado toast lovers, the near-epic proportions of the large-pitted crop in this dish and others is an advantage when eating at Denny's. An ingredient that was earmarked for one dish can certainly be moved over to another.

And what Denny's might lack in artisanal vibes, it makes up for in ingredients. Aside from the avocados, you'll find at least six types of bread and a slew of extra ingredients that could potentially give avocado toast a giant jolt of flavor. As far as toast offerings go, you'll find white, 7-grain, sourdough, brioche, buttermilk biscuits, and English muffins, depending on what the local Denny's in your area carries. And if you're feeling adventurous, you might consider waffles as an option, too. 

Finally, the toppings options include the usual suspects. There are eggs, bacon, Swiss or cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and roasted turkey breast or ham to choose from. Once all of the preferred makings for your avocado toast arrive at your table, MacGyver the whole lot of it together and dig in.

Milkshake-making machines that squirt out coils of the blended dairy stuff into a wax-coated paper cup are common fixtures at fast food establishments. The ubiquity of such apparatuses makes us forget that, in many restaurants, milkshakes get made one scoop of ice cream at a time, by hand, with a poke and a stir with a long spoon for good measure. We bring all of this up because that's the way that Denny's makes its milkshakes – including its Oreo shake — by hand every single time. No coils of dairy stuff here. This feature is why creating a bespoke shake is possible at a Denny's near you.

Current restaurant offerings include the standard white, pink, and brown versions of ice cream as well as one filled with chunks of Oreo cookies for good measure. However, since the shakes are made-to-order, why not experiment with some new flavors while you're there at Denny's? How about asking your server to crumble up some New York cheesecake, crust and all, into your vanilla or strawberry shake? Or maybe some of its caramel apple pie crisp? 

All of those tasty treats are among Denny's desserts, and while you may have to pay for both the dessert and the shake you'll blend it into, your taste buds will be dancing a jig once all the milkshake slurping commences. Other possible shake additions include some of Denny's seasonal fresh fruit or bits of brownie and chocolate syrup, care of Denny's brownie sundaes.

We're gonna make your favorite mac and cheese recipe pop with this Denny's hack. Let's first examine exhibit "A," a plain bowl of oven-baked macaroni and cheese. It adds mouth-watering deliciousness to a meal as a side dish. However, if you insert a handful of steamed broccoli spears, you can elevate your cheesy mac into a full meal. However, at Denny's, the only way to enjoy this upgraded version of mac and cheese is to assemble it yourself.

You'll take quite the tour of Denny's menu before you're done putting this dish together. First stop? The sides menu. You'll need to order at least two sides of the mac and cheese and, at minimum, a single order of steamed broccoli. On its own, those two ingredients will flavor up lunch or dinner most excellently. Adding savory ingredients, such as bacon crumbles, bits of sausage, or chunks of ham, fill the dish with some umami richness. 

Or give it a Buffalo chicken wing flavor by chunking up some of the boneless wings from Denny's starters menu and stirring all that spicy chicken into the depths of your ooey gooey mac. But don't say we didn't warn you. This some-assembly-required dish almost always makes you want seconds.

Possibly because of a long tradition of people eating fish on Fridays during Lent, most restaurants keep their own version of the fish sandwich on the menu. Despite having what could clearly be called a most generous bill of fare, Denny's does not offer such a staple. Yet, a fish sandwich worthy of consideration on a Good Friday lunch can be had at your favorite diner chain. You just need to put the sandwich together yourself.

You'll get both the fish you need, plus a side of fries to go with it, if you order the fried fish platter. Next, you'll need some bread to stack the fish on. The simplest thing to do is to order some slices of toast. However, if you're hankerin' for more flavor volume from your bread, you may want to substitute the plain toast for some sourdough bread or a brioche bun.

Dressing the sandwich up starts with the side of tartar sauce that comes with the fish platter. However, to build the perfect fish sandwich, a dollop of mayo, some sliced tomatoes, and your choice of cheese will make all the difference when you take the first bite of your fishy fare. Those extras transform your meal, taking it from chunks of fish to a bonafide sammy. Finally, a shake of vinegar or a squeeze of lemon perks the fish up even more, adding a tangy aftertaste to your made-for-you sandwich.