Denny’s opens in Thatcher
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After months of anticipation, the new Denny’s restaurant adjacent to the Mariott Springhill Suites hotel in Thatcher opened for business Sunday evening.
Denny’s is a full-service restaurant open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and has a special late-night menu inspired by rock bands. Break-fast is served at any time.
Owner Glenn Beattie of Gilbert was in town with his wife, Tina, for the opening. Beattie owns four other Denny’s restaurants in Arizona, three in Phoenix and one in Casa Grande.
He said the Thatcher location is a unique combination that has a small-town feel yet is right off a major thoroughfare.
“This is the best of both worlds,” Beattie said, “because you’re on a major throughway, and it’s a hometown feel whereas most of the Denny’s are either an interstate or a hometown Denny’s.”
The Beatties said being next to the hotel and down the street from the Eastern Arizona College were also some of the reasons they chose to come to Thatcher.
“We have one of our other locations near a college, and it ends up being a really great place to study and have some coffee when you need to get out of your dorm room,” Tina said.
Beattie said the Thatcher location is the first brand-new restaurant he and his wife have been a part of. He said they helped build it from the ground up and gave a lot of input on the layout of the building. It is the first franchise Denny’s to utilize what Beattie called “the most high-tech kitchen equipment/computer package” available.
Approximately 100 employees were hired to operate the Denny’s.
The Beatties commented several times on the welcome they have received and said they are eager to become a part of the community.
“Our Casa Grande restaurant is in a neat little community very similar to this, and these are fun communities to be in,” Tina said. “We look forward to getting involved with Little League and (having) a football team.”
