Denny’s just told the public exactly how many restaurants are getting a facelift, and the number is 500.
Story Snapshot
- Denny’s Chief Executive Officer Christopher Bode says 500 restaurants are queued for upgrades over the next 12 to 18 months.
- The work falls under Project Grand Slam, a 24-month turnaround plan covering menu, facilities, catering, technology and operations.
- The rollout includes new point-of-sale systems, table-side tablets, and an updated mobile app.
- Denny’s is also using artificial intelligence to help schedule workers, forecast food needs and set local menu prices.
What Bode Actually Announced
Christopher Bode, who took over as Denny’s president and chief executive officer earlier this year, told Fox Business the company now has 500 restaurants in line for some kind of asset upgrade.
He called the number “huge” and said the work stretches over the next 12 to 18 months. It builds on more than 200 remodels the diner chain has already finished since the pandemic.
That figure did not appear out of nowhere. Bode was named to lead Denny’s in April, and the company’s own announcement at the time laid out a 24-month roadmap to “modernize the business trajectory through culinary innovation, digital transformation and a renewed commitment to operational excellence”. The 500-restaurant upgrade queue is visible, store-level proof that plan is finally moving forward.
Denny's targets 500 restaurant upgrades as diner chain invests in AI, new technology: 'Project Grand Slam' https://t.co/LtOgo4AL5f
— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) September 30, 2026
Project Grand Slam Is the Bigger Playbook
The upgrades sit inside a five-part strategy called Project Grand Slam, covering menu innovation, facility upgrades, catering, technology and day-to-day operations.
Fox Business reported that the plan ties the 500-site remodel push to that broader roadmap, not a one-off marketing push. Denny’s is treating store upgrades as one piece of a longer, company-wide reset rather than a standalone renovation campaign.
Catering already shows how the company intends to execute. Denny’s said on LinkedIn that catering was “the first major initiative launched under Project Grand Slam,” calling it a new growth platform for franchisees and another way to reach customers outside the restaurant. That gives the public a concrete, already-running example of the strategy in action, ahead of the physical remodels still working through the pipeline.
Technology and Artificial Intelligence Enter the Dining Room
Denny’s is leaning on artificial intelligence to understand customer behavior, sharpen labor scheduling, forecast food orders, and adjust menu prices by local market.
New point-of-sale systems, table-side tablets and an upgraded mobile app round out the tech side of the remodels. For a chain built on late-night booths and diner counters, that is a real shift toward running restaurants with data as much as with grill cooks.
Denny’s is not inventing this approach from scratch. Restaurant chains widely use artificial intelligence first for scheduling, inventory forecasting and reporting, because those tools cut costs without changing what a guest sees on the plate. Denny’s public description of its own AI use, covering pricing, staffing and forecasting, fits that same pattern rather than breaking new ground for the industry.
How the Numbers Compare to Past Chain Overhauls
Separate reporting from USA Today put the near-term scope even higher, saying Denny’s expects to upgrade as many as 350 restaurants and open up to 20 new locations within the next year. That framing described the moves as part of a broader comeback effort following store closures.
Chains have used similar remodel-plus-technology combinations before, since store refreshes paired with new systems are one of the fastest levers a franchise system can pull to signal recovery to customers and franchisees alike.
What Comes Next for Franchisees and Diners
The 500 restaurants are described as being in a queue, which means timing and scope will vary by location over the coming months. Denny’s has not published a store-by-store schedule, so diners in different markets will likely notice the new tablets, updated menus, and refreshed dining rooms at different points through 2026 and into 2027. The scale of the commitment, though, is now on the public record in Bode’s own words.
For a chain that has weathered closures and slower traffic in recent years, betting on 500 upgraded locations is a sizable wager on getting customers back in the booth.
Project Grand Slam ties together food, technology, catering and operations under one banner, giving Denny’s a single story to tell franchisees, workers and diners as the 24-month clock keeps running.
Sources:
foxbusiness.com, us.headtopics.com, usatoday.com
