Dining with Denny’s: Comedy on the Side

Every week, it seems like we see a new restaurant using their Twitter platform to reach out to their consumers. Whether it be giving them a free meal the next time they stop in or a quick snarky comment in their mentions, restaurants all over are making a name through their social media marketing.

However, I can’t help but feel there is one specific breakfast diner that gets overlooked time and time again. Denny’s Diner is constantly tweeting random things that are somehow related to the product they serve, and make a (weird) impression on those that follow them. From the moment you look at the Denny’s Diner twitter, you immediately get a sense of comedy. Their bio says it all: “Welcome to America’s Diner. Wanna start an order? Just slide into our DMs…”

Scrolling through their feed, its a constant mix of random, awkward conversations, quirky one-liners and interaction with internet sensations like Smash Mouth. It’s the kind of Twitter page that makes you stop and ask: “Why do I follow Denny’s Diner?” and then follow it with an ungodly laugh because they just tweeted:

Talk about promoting their products. Denny’s Diner draws their consumers in with unconventional tweeting methods and then traps them with their delicious foods. At one point, they just tweeted a picture of an egg every hour. On the hour, for no specific reason. It got people's attention and they increased their number of page clicks. But I still need answers, and I never got them.

They work hard to embed themselves in your newsfeed, and people love to retweet things that make you stop and say “Wait, what?” Why not use this tactic to get your brand name out there? Sure, it’s no Wendy’s-MoonPie online romance. It’s no Domino’s Poetry. It’s really not even the first breakfast place that comes into your mind. But they are the first account I think of when somebody asks me what my favorite food Twitter account is. This article by Jenn Chen gives some great tips for how the food industry can use different platforms to have an online presence. Here’s a few of my favorite Denny’s Diner tweets from their account:

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They are creative. They are outlandish. They are Denny’s Diner. Are there other ways that restaurants can use social media platforms to be more interactive with their consumers? Share with us your favorite way to interact with restaurants online!