Denny's restaurant in Glasgow opens to nearly 50 'terrible' reviews on Trip Advisor

It seems the arrival of Denny's Diner in Scotland is not setting the heather alight in quite the way the popular US chain expected.

Published 11th Jan 2019
Updated 9 th Aug 2023

The American diner-style restaurant chain has more than 1,600 restaurants across the USA, and made its much anticipated arrival in Scotland in December.

Located close to intu Braehead in Glasgow at the former Toby Carvery site, the diner is renowned for its breakfasts and brunches.

Though many Scottish food fans were excited for its launch it seems they've been left disappointed by the standard of food and long waiting times to get served.

Signs weren't great when even largely positive bloggers and vloggers were leaving negative reviews on their channels, such as The Millers whose video below shows  their disappointment on their visit just after it opened.

Glasgow's residents have also been flocking to Trip Advisor where, of the 80 reviews posted so far, over 70 per cent of them have been 'bad' or 'terrible'.

Indeed, there are nearly fifty 'terrible' reviews, with people describing it as "Utterly disappointing" and "Unbelievably Poor".

One person even wrote that the service was so bad that they expected it to shutdown if things don't improve.

Careen186534 wrote: "This was probably as far away as you could possibly get from USA experience. I will be surprised if this place lasts 6 months, in fact would be astounded if it lasts till the end of the month.

"Of the 5 in our party - none of us will be back. I have given a one rating only because you cannot give zero rating."

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JamJam1234 who only signed up to Trip Advisor to write the review for Denny's because their experience was so bad said: "If you are dying to try this place just don't OK, please avoid because you will no doubt have to wait up to an hour for a table to be served really bad food which you are most probably thinking will be great well it wont be."

And it's not just Trip Advisor, diners have been taking to social media to discuss their disappointment.

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Long waiting times, disappointing food - our view

We headed along to see what all the fuss was about at the start of January - we were hoping the festive rush would be over and we'd have a better chance at a decent experience.

After being told we would have to wait up to 20 minutes for a table (it ended up being 40 minutes after staff forgot about us), food took almost as long to come to the table.

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The milkshakes were substandard and, barring a few decent standouts - the sriracha bacon and bacon tater tots being good examples - the food was mostly disappointing (including meatballs that you could probably have loaded into a cannon and used to sink a ship and burgers that tasted like sawdust) to the point that we left perhaps 50 per cent of what we'd been served on the plate as it was pretty inedible. The bill was about the only thing that was substantial.

Our verdict: Long wait times, terrible food and staff that look like they are struggling to cope, make this place one to avoid.

At least until they get over their teething problems and get their act together.

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Driven by a passion for all things drinks-related, Sean writes for The Scotsman extensively on the subject. He can also sometimes be found behind the bar at the world famous Potstill bar in Glasgow where he continues to enhance his whisky knowledge built up over 10 years advising customers from all over the world on the wonders of our national drink. Recently, his first book was published. Dubbed Gin Galore, it explores Scotland's best gins and the stories behind those that make them.
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