It never occured to me that Denny's was doing it for anything but profit. I wasn't sure how it would profit, but I know everything in business is driven by profit. Free Grand Slam for eight hours, even during the lunch rush? That's absurd. That's bad business. That's helpful. Helpful in the way that, even with the line of customers wrapping around the building, a father who has just lost his job can take his family out for breakfast.
I didn't think of it as helpful. When I woke up at 6:23 AM to meet my friends for free food, I thought I was sticking it to Denny's. Finally, I was going to get compensation for all those times I had to pay for stale mashed potatoes and flat Pepsi.
Turns out the line was too long. Teenagers wrapped around the side of the building, waiting to stick it to the man. I couldn't wait in that line. No, I wouldn't wait in that line. Not at 7 AM, not in 20 degree weather, not before sunrise, not when Bob Evans was across the highway and I had a $20 in my pocket. But 10 years ago, I would have stood all day. I would have piled my friends in my car and took them to Denny's at 7 AM to get our free meal. Ten years ago I was 19. Ten years ago I was broke and had time to spare. Ten years ago I wasn't an unemployed, middle-aged man with a family.
We ate at Bob Evans and paid for our meals instead. We paid with our convenience of money. Then I went to the Y. I enjoy running on the elliptical without headphones on. This helps me concentrate on my breathing. While running I usually read the TV captions on Fox News. The reliability of that channel is topic for another piece, but I will just say that today, Fox News made me think about my faith in other people - their point managed to shine through the misspelled captions. It wasn't until after I saw the throng of teenagers at Denny's that I even thought about the economic turmoil we're all in. Fox News did that for me. They proclaimed Denny's to be somewhat of a savior to these families who had fell short of stability and any type of assurance that it's going to get better. The Denny's featured on Fox News was filled with adults and their children - families who appreciated the meal rather than felt entitlement.
I felt like an ass. I've spent my whole life fine tuning the belief that people are innately selfish and unreliable. Conversations about this leave me winded with my vocal cords in a frenzy. So now, Fox News is telling me that perhaps there is kindness in, well, unexpected places. Yes, Denny's is begging to that down and out, working-class audience. As they should be, they are a working-class restaurant. And yes, Denny's may get that sympathy pick for the next time a family can afford to pay for dinner. But for right now, they're not getting much of anything but muddy floors, hungry families, and a 20% tip. But at least they're feeding these families, giving them a luxury that has been cut from their lives, a social easiness that people take for granted. Meanwhile, I'm not being kind to anybody. I've just spent my morning watching a franchise extend a kindness and now I'm sitting on my couch writing about it.
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