Dennys

2013brand social mediaclassic

Dennys refers to the meme-savvy social media accounts run by the American breakfast chain, particularly the Tumblr and Twitter feeds that got popular in the mid-2010s for posting absurdist content that felt like actual meme culture. The style started when the company hired 23-year-old Amber Gordon in 2013 to run its social media.

advertising memesbrand participation memestumblr memesfast food memesmid 2010s memes

Overview

Dennys refers to the meme-savvy social media accounts run by the American breakfast chain, particularly the brand's Tumblr and Twitter feeds that got popular in the mid-2010s for posting surreal content instead of standard ads1. Where most brand accounts sounded stiff and corporate, Denny's leaned into absurdist humor about pancakes, syrup drips, and 3 AM hash browns.

The style avoided the "how do you do fellow kids" energy that other companies gave off when they tried to post memes. The @dennysdiner Twitter2 and the Tumblr both leaned on this voice, and fans compiled favorite screenshots into listicles on sites like Pleated Jeans1 that framed the account as something closer to a fandom blog than an advertising channel.

How It Spread

The Twitter feed @dennysdiner2 mirrored the Tumblr's shitposting style, tweeting content about syrup and breakfast that read more like a mutual's timeline than corporate marketing. Compilation posts on Pleated Jeans1 and similar aggregator sites spread the humor to readers who did not follow the account directly.

The Denny's account also became a lightning rod for critics. On April 23rd, 2017, Tumblr user leviathan-supersystem posted a fake copypasta calling for the redistribution of Denny's CEO John C. Miller's wealth, testing whether the brand would grab any meme going around. The Denny's Tumblr took the bait two days later, adopting the copypasta into a chat-style post. Three days later, user an-averaged-sized-person clapped back with "Denny's Is Racist And No Amount Of Dank Memes Will Change That," calling back to the chain's 1994 discrimination lawsuit settlement of $54.4 million3.

Frequently Asked Questions

Dennys

2013brand social mediaclassic

Dennys refers to the meme-savvy social media accounts run by the American breakfast chain, particularly the Tumblr and Twitter feeds that got popular in the mid-2010s for posting absurdist content that felt like actual meme culture. The style started when the company hired 23-year-old Amber Gordon in 2013 to run its social media.

advertising memes brand participation memes tumblr memes fast food memes mid 2010s memes

Overview

Dennys refers to the meme-savvy social media accounts run by the American breakfast chain, particularly the brand's Tumblr and Twitter feeds that got popular in the mid-2010s for posting surreal content instead of standard ads1. Where most brand accounts sounded stiff and corporate, Denny's leaned into absurdist humor about pancakes, syrup drips, and 3 AM hash browns.

The style avoided the "how do you do fellow kids" energy that other companies gave off when they tried to post memes. The @dennysdiner Twitter2 and the Tumblr both leaned on this voice, and fans compiled favorite screenshots into listicles on sites like Pleated Jeans1 that framed the account as something closer to a fandom blog than an advertising channel.

How It Spread

The Twitter feed @dennysdiner2 mirrored the Tumblr's shitposting style, tweeting content about syrup and breakfast that read more like a mutual's timeline than corporate marketing. Compilation posts on Pleated Jeans1 and similar aggregator sites spread the humor to readers who did not follow the account directly.

The Denny's account also became a lightning rod for critics. On April 23rd, 2017, Tumblr user leviathan-supersystem posted a fake copypasta calling for the redistribution of Denny's CEO John C. Miller's wealth, testing whether the brand would grab any meme going around. The Denny's Tumblr took the bait two days later, adopting the copypasta into a chat-style post. Three days later, user an-averaged-sized-person clapped back with "Denny's Is Racist And No Amount Of Dank Memes Will Change That," calling back to the chain's 1994 discrimination lawsuit settlement of $54.4 million3.

Frequently Asked Questions