Denny's Kicks Off Mobile Relief Diner "Heroes Tour" to Serve Hot Meals to Homeless Veterans in Need

SPARTANBURG, S.C., Nov. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Denny's today announced the kick-off of its first ever Heroes Tour, an 10-day, 800+-mile tour of the Denny's Mobile Relief Diner to bring free, hot meals to homeless veterans. Taking place from November 13-22, 2020 in honor of Veteran's Day, the Heroes Tour will make six stops in Arizona, Nevada and Southern California to provide a helping hand to homeless veterans who have been hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic fallout. The Heroes Tour builds upon Denny's longstanding tradition of offering a complimentary Build Your Own Grand Slam breakfast to all active, inactive and military personnel on Veteran's Day.

Partnering with U.S.VETS, the nation's largest veteran services nonprofit, and Veterans Village of San Diego, Denny's will deliver fresh, warm breakfasts and lunches to veterans in Prescott, Ariz., Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Long Beach and San Diego via the Mobile Relief Diner, a 53-foot traveling kitchen originally designed to visit areas impacted by natural disasters. This is the first time that Denny's is using the Mobile Relief Diner to serve veterans as part of a broader effort to help those impacted by COVID-19. During the tour, the Mobile Relief Diner will take all of the necessary COVID-19 precautions and will be staffed by Denny's volunteer staff in each location, with a number of Heroes Tour volunteers being U.S. veterans themselves.

"Denny's has long celebrated veterans in our restaurants, but this year, we wanted to double down on our commitment to veterans by taking the Mobile Relief Diner to veterans events and facilities to safely serve hot, fresh Denny's meals to those who might need a helping hand during this challenging time," said John Dillon, chief brand officer for Denny's. "Despite the challenges all are facing in 2020, we are honored to be working with U.S.VETS and Veterans Village of San Diego and doing what we can to remind American veterans just how much we appreciate their service."

According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, about 11 percent of the adult homeless population are U.S. veterans. Several markets across the U.S. have experienced sharp increases in the number of homeless veterans since the start of the pandemic, causing concern that recent progress in the fight against veteran homelessness could be at risk. Los Angeles, in particular, has the largest homeless population and the most homeless veterans in the country.

"Across the U.S., veterans have been one of the groups most heavily impacted by the pandemic, making this year's Veteran's Day an even bigger reminder of what we can collectively do to support them," said Chris Bode, chief operating officer for Denny's. "As a veteran myself, it's a real privilege to work for an organization that honors veterans and to be able to meet and serve the veterans in these communities."

"Veterans have made the ultimate sacrifice; they served our country with honor and dignity. Our veterans and their families are deeply impacted by the pandemic. We are here to serve those who served us by assisting with housing, food, employment, and comprehensive support," said Larry Williams, Vice President, Programs, for U.S.VETS. "The collaboration between U.S.VETS and Denny's is an example of the type of community alliance that is needed to assist veterans and their families during this time of need."

Built from the ground up and created from the brand's purpose of loving to feed people, the Mobile Relief Diner is a fully-functional diner on wheels that was specifically designed by Denny's to travel virtually anywhere in the U.S. during emergency situations to serve free, hot Denny's meals to those needing a helping hand. With each deployment, the Mobile Relief Diner works closely with local officials, disaster relief organizations, and local franchisees and store operators to identify the areas and groups most in need.

For more information about Denny's or to find a participating location near you, please visit www.dennys.com, and more information on Denny's safety procedures during the pandemic is here.

*Denny's Veterans Day offer is valid for dine-in only and will not be available for online ordering through 'Denny's on Demand.' Some locations may open after 5 a.m.; check your local restaurant for its hours of operation.

ABOUT DENNY'S CORP.
Denny's Corporation is the franchisor and operator of one of America's largest franchised full-service restaurant chains, based on the number of restaurants. Denny's has approximately 1,700 franchised, licensed, and company restaurants around the world including 147 restaurants in Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, the Philippines, New Zealand, Honduras, the United Arab Emirates, Costa Rica, Guam, Guatemala, the United Kingdom, El Salvador, Indonesia, and Aruba. For further information on Denny's, including news releases, please visit the Denny's website at www.dennys.com or the brand's social channels via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn or YouTube.

ABOUT U.S.VETS
As the nation's largest veteran services nonprofit, U.S.VETS provides housing, counseling, career services and comprehensive support to thousands of veterans and their families, each day. Founded more than 27 years ago, U.S.VETS now has 31 residential sites and services centers across the country, and new housing projects in development. With the goal of ending veteran homelessness, U.S.VETS prevention programs focus on jobs and mental health for at-risk veterans. We will continue in our mission until no man or woman who served our country is left sleeping on its streets. Learn more at www.usvetsinc.org, or on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

SOURCE Denny's Corporation