Boardman restaurant gets slammed for free breakfast

By KATIE SEMINARA

Workers at Denny’s scrambled to keep up with the crazy amounts of free breakfast orders.

BOARDMAN — While watching the Super Bowl, Pat Romeo saw a Denny’s advertisement he didn’t believe was true.

“I wasn’t sure they were serious about it,” the 43-year-old Boardman resident said of the restaurant’s commercial.

Denny’s created a free breakfast promotion for all dine-in customers that lasted eight hours Tuesday. The promotion was for a free Grand Slam — two eggs, two pancakes, two sausage links and two slices of bacon.

Romeo wasn’t the only wary customer. The phone at Denny’s on U.S. Route 224 in Boardman rang nonstop with callers asking if it was true the restaurant was having free breakfast.

The truth was in the lines of people huddled inside the door to keep warm and with the many seated at the restaurant tables.

“This is crazy,” said Sarah Yemma who was working as a hostess and also ringing up customers.

By the time the promotion was over at 2 p.m. more than 2,000 people had visited the Boardman location.

“I projected 1,200,” said the general manager Roy Main.

When 12:30 p.m. hit, Main said the 2,000 mark was reached and they began giving away rain checks to those who couldn’t wait in the lines.

About 700 rain checks for a free Grand Slam were given out and must be redeemed by Feb. 13, Main said.

“Overall it went very well,” said Main recognizing that his crew did an exceptional job.

“We didn’t run out of food here,” he said.

And the food that was served was “very good,” said Romeo.

Romeo’s wife, Rochelle, 39, made two stops at the Boardman Denny’s, but only ate one Grand Slam.

The couple’s 15-year-old daughter Stephanie wanted to go before school.

“She woke me up at 5:45,” said Rochelle noting that they made it to Denny’s by 6:15 a.m.

For Rochelle’s second round at about 8 a.m., she and Pat were joined by their 18-year-old daughter, Nicole, and friends, Todd Kennedy, 40, and Eddie Garman, 38, both of Boardman.

While the group was waiting for their meals, Kennedy’s wife called to complain that people who were working during the promotion hours got gypped.

“She’s giving us a hard time for eating for free,” Pat said.

Jean Shoemaker was trying to make times easier for the employees at Denny’s by giving them a hand pouring coffee.

“I’m here just about every day, so I help where I can,” said Shoemaker of Boardman.

Shoemaker refilled the cups of customers sitting at the counter and said she would wait for the craziness to slow down before ordering her Grand Slam.

“I’ve seen it crowded, but not like this,” she said.

Crowds inside meant a crowded parking lot outside.

Boardman police reported a few issues with cars parked in handicap spots, a few minor fender benders and an intoxicated man stealing food from other people’s plates.

The first incident that brought them to Denny’s was a woman who was struck by a vehicle pulling into a parking space.

There were many cars circling the lot searching for spots, resulting in some people getting out of their cars to stand in spaces, as to hold them for drivers, said Sgt. John Paul Allsopp.

Loumanda Belcher of Youngstown was blocking a parking spot and reported that a man bumped her with his vehicle. She was not injured, and the police are searching for the suspect, Allsopp said.

Despite a few minor downs during the promotion, there were far more positives.

Strangers were sitting with strangers, and spirits of customers and workers were high.

Pam Comstock of Boardman said she felt that the restaurant’s promotion shed light on the good that is still happening in the country, and added she thought similar events could help the economy.

“We’ll remember them,” she said of thinking of Denny’s next time she’s out for a bite.