To focus a series of entries on Denny’s it is important to first define a timeline of sorts. Most commonly used is A.D. and B.C. in the Gregorian Calendar. Even Star Wars fanatics use Episode IV as a sort of “Year Zero,” defining which is before and after the events of the seminal film.
Here for the Fort Gratiot Denny’s I put forth a similar timeline based on the July 2003 renovation. Events pertaining to Denny’s will adhere to the B.R. ("Before Renovation") and A.R. ("After Renovation") timeline (sort of).
My first trips to Denny’s were in summer 2002. The last time I was at a Denny’s previous to that was probably elementary school. The first few times there I noticed there was an interesting crowd. But as Fall 2002 progressed the group was coming apart. I do not believe it was out of animosity but rather just people doing their own thing. By the time I became a regular in early 2003 this group had more or less vanished.
I wanted to become a regular. That group was pretty interesting when I first met them. But I didn’t like staying in Port Huron as late as them. I really had no reason yet other than the Rerun Film Series at Birchwood. But with the Winter 2003 semester going as late as it did (9:15 pm from Monday through Wednesdays) going to Denny’s seemed like the natural thing to do. At the time I was working in Utica on Fridays and would still make a trip up to Denny’s after work. Oh sure it was 50 miles away but I did the trip anyway.
I started going once in a while at first. My newly-acquired taste for coffee was fulfilled there.
I knew I would become a regular in early January. It was a Friday night and I had a date that didn’t go great. It wasn’t disastrous or anything; rather, it was just that nothing happened. I felt the night wasn’t over with so I decided to call RJ and see if he was at Denny’s. I was correct and I went there. I ordered a cup of coffee and an Oreo pie. I realized I had no more chances with the girl I went out with. But that was okay. I wasn’t that emotionally invested in her so moving on was easy.
After this, I became a pretty noticeable fixture in the smoking section despite the fact I’ve probably smoked 30 cigarettes in the past 6 years. When the 2002-2003 school year ended my attendance only increased.
Part of the reason I loved Denny’s was the ambience. The lights were just right. It was a soft, golden type of light. Going from school or work during the day to the night of Denny’s was comforting to the eyes. The color from those lights had the same type of character as the red light in the bar in Mean Streets. It was relaxing and easy on the eyes. I don’t like restaurants at night when they have especially bright or harsh lighting. There is a Chinese restaurant in Lapeer that would get my business more often if they turned down their lights once in a while. It is so bright in there it seems like they are using a fully functional Batsignal to light the space of a college conference room.
The lights made the difference at this Denny’s though. At other Denny’s the lights were a harsh florescent. The Denny’s by Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights has this kind of lighting. If the coffee didn’t keep me up already the lights would.
The lights at Denny’s Fort Gratiot though were great. I went there once with someone late after a movie at Birchwood Mall. Granted, Denny’s isn’t the first choice for trying to become the significant other in one’s life but it was her choice to go. The surroundings that night though could have rivaled any other romantic place that would have probably been more preferable. The atmosphere was great that night.
July rolls around and it is announced that Denny’s would be undergoing a renovation for a week. Rumors were abound that the place was going to close down but I thought that was ridiculous. If they were going to close they would close. Denny’s isn’t known for being coy. Denny’s is a place that’s going to tell you the truth but will be chain smoking hand-rolled smokes into your face as it does so.
As the renovation happens it is decided that we go to the Big Boy’s that is slightly across the street. At the time they were closing down at midnight and that was a problem. It wasn’t conducive for binges of creativity or complaining about the lack of feminine commitment.
Finally, the day came when Denny’s reopened. RJ and I returned that night. I saw that the walls and tables now matched in a sort of marble grey kind of design. But that wasn’t the first thing I noticed.
The first thing I noticed were the lights.
The lights now were those harsh florescent lights that I hated. The place had a whole different feel to it. The lights were as sterile as the emergency rooms that they were probably intended for.
There was also something rotten in Fort Gratiot with the coffee. To my knowledge it was not the same kind of coffee anymore but more than that was the service for the coffee. The refills, at one time quite plentiful, decreased considerably.
Part of the reason I dug Denny’s was the way it fed my growing addiction to coffee. I wasn’t expecting a refill within two minutes of me finishing a mug but I did expect a refill to come within a few minutes. Those first few months of being a regular I had that wish. But now the coffee refills were coming once an hour, if that. It has hardly changed in the nearly 5 years since then.
I’m pretty sure that part of the reason for this new policy was the amount of coffee being consumed was eliminating any sort of profit obtained by the sale of one cup. I know there were times I was there so late that I lost count of how many cups I’d had. I tried to offset the amount I drank by getting a meal or tipping well. I did both often but I still missed those refills.
Another problem was the placemats. Before the renovation the placemats were blank on one side. The people I sat with or would chat with could be pretty interesting. People would be working on some pretty elaborate drawings. I took to making funny lists or raps. I challenged myself once to rhyme the whole dessert menu. I did it too. I still have it.
Many of these examples of “Denny’s Art” I kept. I have most all the raps, lists, and doodles I did along with other works done by the late night demons of Denny’s.
But now the placemats are double-sided. Granted, if I want to write I have my notebook with me usually or I type on my laptop. Yet there was a certain aesthetic quality to creating something on a placemat.
It has been over 4 years since the renovation. At this point I know the place better with the harsh lighting than without. But like David Lee Roth with Van Halen, I still feel compelled to go back where I came from. Sometimes the best way to grease the engines of creativity and life is vegetable oil.
***
I will try to post uncensored Denny’s art here soon. For now, here is my comrade Mark’s page of his Denny’s art. This is the kind of good stuff one could see walking into Denny’s.
http://www.mdsc.info/art-dennys.htm
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