Denny’s - PRNewser

Backlash Against Wendy’s, Taco Bell for Cutting Hours and Blaming Obamacare

Elizabeth S. Mitchell — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 12:11:36 +0000

Few things grab the public’s attention like a celebrity-backed boycott, protest, or backlash against a specific brand or company. Today, Wendy’s and Taco Bell find themselves on the wrong end of just this sort of upheaval.

Roughly 100 Wendy’s employees in the Omaha, Nebraska area will have their weekly schedules reduced to 28 hours a week so that they will no longer qualify for the health care benefits that “Obamacare” mandates for full-time employees. A Taco Bell in Guthrie, Oklahoma enacted a similar policy.

Even though these underhanded approaches seem unique to these specific franchises, the backlash against the Wendy’s and Taco Bell corporations has been swift. Celebrities like Castle star Nathan Fillion and comedian Sarah Silverman voiced their outrage via Twitter, and many people pledged to avoid not just those specific locations, but all restaurants owned by the chains in question.

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Execs’ Anti-Obama Rants Hurt Restaurant Brands

Patrick Coffee — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 12:15:16 +0000

Several men who work as managers and CEOs of chain restaurants don’t much care for President Obama’s signature health insurance law—and they haven’t been shy about letting everyone know it via their respective media megaphones.

Their outrage may have something to do with the fact that chain restaurants, despite employing millions of Americans, very often do not provide health insurance for their workers. While these men have every right to voice their outrage, a recent YouGov BrandIndex report implies that their opinions may be hurting their brands.

Examples from the past month:

An owner of several Applebee’s branches claimed that “…we won’t build more restaurants. We won’t hire more people” due to the additional costs of insuring employees via “Obamacare.”

A south Florida man who runs several Denny’s and Dairy Queen locations discussed his plans to add a 5% surcharge to all orders in order to cover the anticipated cost of the legislation, telling customers that “if they really feel so inclined, they can reduce the amount of tip they give to the server, who is the primary beneficiary of Obamacare.”

After reports led some to believe that Obamacare would force him to close stores, fire workers and raise prices, Papa John’s CEO (and major Mitt Romney fundraiser) John Schnatter recently took to The Huffington Post to clarify his statements on the matter, writing that everybody just needs to calm down because all of his restaurants plan to “honor the law.”

There’s little doubt that these statements paint the men who made them as jackasses, yet the YouGov brand report hints that the damage runs deeper: these execs’ anti-Obamacare rants have led the public to lose respect for their brands.

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Denny’s Launches ‘Hobbit’-Inspired Menu

Elizabeth S. Mitchell — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 12:03:25 +0000

Rejoice, ye fans of Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf and “second breakfast”! Thanks to Denny’s, you no longer need to live in The Shire to eat like a Hobbit. As part of a joint marketing effort with the upcoming flick The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the restaurant chain is about to launch a special, limited-time-only menu chock full of Middle Earth-inspired delights.

Beginning November 6, Tolkien fans can choose from 11 breakfast, lunch, and dinner items including “Hobbit Hole Breakfast”, “Frodo’s Pot Roast Skillet,” and “Gandalf’s Gobble Melt”. Denny’s offers plenty of options for any mealtime, whether you’re sitting down to enjoy breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner or supper.

In support of its promotional menu, the company will launch an accompanying ad campaign including a full TV spot (sneak peek below) set to begin airing on November 12–roughly a month before the movie’s December 14 release. Denny’s hopes to cash in on fans’ growing anticipation by offering trading cards with each special entree; the chain also plans to print QR-coded place mats that enthusiasts can use to unlock movie-related content like videos and online games.

If you just can’t wait till December to take a trip to The Shire, Denny’s has you covered. If the below video is any indication, however, we recommend ensuring that your dining companions understand proper Hobbit table etiquette–you never know who you might offend.

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More Companies Raising Prices

Tonya Garcia — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:01:03 +0000

Three more companies have announced that they are raises prices on their goods or services: Starbucks is raising prices by one percent on some items across the Northeast and Sunbelt; Denny’s is raising prices three to five percent this year; and Delta is adding a $3 charge on flights between the U.S. and Europe.

Word of these price hikes started coming out late yesterday, yet it hasn’t been met with the same level of consumer rancor that the Verizon or Bank of America fee proposals did. What gives? We have a few thoughts.

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Denny’s Selects ICR as AOR, Erwin-Penland for Consumer Work

Tonya Garcia — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:32:38 +0000

Restaurant chain Denny’s has selected ICR as its AOR, handling corporate, financial, and crisis communications. Hill & Knowlton had been handling corporate, crisis, and consumer PR for Denny’s until this summer. At that time, CEO Nelson Marchioli was replaced with interim CEO Debra Smithart-Oglesby.

“When the CEO left, we weren’t interested in participating in a review,â€ Lori Robinson, SVP and director of marketing and business development at H&K told PRWeek (sub req’d).

ICR lists Visa and Chipotle among the selected clients on its website.

The consumer work with Erwin-Penland is an expansion on previous projects the firm has done with Denny’s including menus and local support.

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