Denny's
A worldwide restaurant chain that has a few locations near Oberlin:
- 900 N Leavitt Rd, Amherst, OH 44001 (8 miles north of Oberlin, right up OH-58; the one most Obies are familiar with)
- 640 Tillotson St, Elyria, OH 44035 (9 miles northeast of Oberlin)
- 1850 Henderson Dr, Lorain, OH 44052 (13 miles north of Oberlin)
Despite the reputation Denny's got in the 1990s for being racist, it seems this is no longer the case.
[edit] Opinions
I'm writing this entry on the Amherst Denny's from the perspective of someone who only frequented it late at night. You should, too, because there is a whole world of restaurants that don't suck open during the day.
I drove to Denny's almost every Monday night at midnight in spring 2005 with a few of my friends. I had a radio show with one of them at 2 AM, so Denny's seemed like a good place to get coffee (and besides the Blue Sky Restaurant across the street, it's the only place) and either work or talk. Plus, you can smoke. It was a great idea.
During the day, Denny's is an exit town family restaurant, but like most places, nighttime brings a better crowd. Every week, we saw the same old men sitting at the counter. For a while, a man named Rick tried to get us to join his scientology offshoot, Landmark Education. The most impressive feature is an ever growing crowd of teenagers, wearing lots of black, smoking and ordering very little food for the mess they make. There are usually about 20 to 30 of them, and the groups are acquainted, perhaps just through Denny's. I always wondered if they were in high school or older or had stopped going to school, but they reminded me of high schoolers. They like to upstage each other by smoking through cigarette holders or holding gigantic poker games. Even if your friends are working and don't want to talk, these kids will entertain you all night.
They were always there when we arrived and had never left before 1:40 AM, when we did. There must not be much else in Amherst.
Denny's pricing can seem a little high until you recieve your grossly oversized entree. You could feed three people with some of their dishes, so skip dinner. The service is fine, and no one hurries you through your meal because of the hour. Coffee is all you can drink. The food is decent, greasy, American fare, with an emphasis on breakfast. Get dessert.
--Leo
