Million Dollar Denny's

Really? The meals at the new Wall Street area Denny's is offering a $300 breakfast! Again really????? It seems the chain wants to appeal to the trust fund babies and traders.The bone of contention is that it's a chain that has somewhat of a good and bad reputation. Would it be better off staying in the heartland or expanding in the heart of the world's financial district? Denny's is a typically Midwestern restaurant.Although there are a few scattered around the East Coast and across the Hudson in Central and Southern New Jersey, the chain is primarily seen around the nation's heartland and So Cal region of the country.The restaurant started off in California in 1953 by Richard Jezek and Harold Butler.It's actually become an international chain with it being big in Japan.Yet, it has had a reputation of being racist thanks to several incidents in the late Nineties.The up side of Denny's and one sure to appeal to all those Wall Street types is that it does use free range eggs and does express concern over some animal rights and how it's various meats are treated pre slaughter.Their meals however will be competing with some of the trendier cafes throughout the southern tip of Manhattan Island. After all it's chief rival is Le Pain Quotidienne, that LA based bakery that offers ouefs and crepes with a totally Gallic charm.Denny's may do well with tourists, out of towners who want a taste of the familiar.IHOP has put one of their pancake houses in the middle of SoHo.It's doing well ,probably not only with visitors but with denizens who grew up with the chain in Long Island or Jersey and want to give their little ones the same dining fun they had. Will other fast food places go the way of downtown Denny's then? Will McDonald's change to Kobe beef burgers? Will KFC be offering emu nuggets at twenty bucks a pop?It's hard to say.Fast food restaurants do jump on trends pretty fast.Burger King is now offering vegan fare and low calorie French fries , exploiting two very fast-growing movements.Wendy's is known for adopting trends like the pretzel roll and the ciambatta into its menus..Some fast food places like McDonald's and even Pizza Hut pick up the foods in the foreign counties they're in.A Chinese PIzza Hut is entirely different from one here.There's no mozzarella and toppings such as corn and squid as opposed to pepperoni and mushrooms. Could this new Denny's be acclimating itself to it's surroundings, just as the foreign based joints, blending in(although the Atlantic City Denny's doesn't offer the $300 Grand Slam Jackpot breakfast for casino winners when it should). Will the novelty of a bond trader's Denny wear off? Maybe.It all depends on if the breakfast and the restaurant are both successful,If not then it's back to simple food at simple prices.

Wendy's Fresh Side

Just when you thought the fast food chain Wendy's seemed happy to settle, it shakes things up. It has recently added some new sides. These are innovative and a far cry from what its' competitors are offering. They're a new spin on fast food.

Baked mac, sweet potatoes and chili cheese fries are what you might get at a diner. However the chain is now offering them as part of their new side menu. This is a  fresh start from the usual burger barn fare however Wendy's has always been a little cutting edge , more so than McDonald's and Burger King in its' food choices. It offered side salads before a few others did.It was the first to sprinkle the healthier sea salt on its' fries.Wendy's also gave a variety of sauces with their chicken nuggets  which was another first too when most were just giving customers only  ketchup with theirs.

The new sides are great , especially when paired with other sides. The baked mac is creamy and especially cheesy with shredded cheddar sprinkled on top. Add Wendy's side Caesar salad and it's a filling meal, perfect for an easy and quick dinner. Their sweet potato is a meal in itself, being the sized of the chain;s baked potato. It comes with a cup of a butter and brown sugar mix. and is nicely baked. It's perfect on its' own along with the chili cheese fries. Of course these are the perfect burger go with however , paired with a frosty float, are a great and satisfying snack (however a bit unhealthy thanks to all that red meat and cheese on top - treat yourself to them once in a great while!)

Wendy's is always on the cutting edge of offering interesting food. Their new sides are testimony to this. They are novel for fast food chains usually offering the same dull burgers and fries.