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This story was written by Lisa Jennings, West Coast bureau chief for Food Management's sister publication Nation's Restaurant News.
Denny's may have found a concept that hits the sweet spot for millennial diners.
The Den by Denny's is a fast-casual concept that has evolved from locations the family-dining chain has on college campuses.
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Last month, after reporting its highest quarterly sales in eight years, Denny's president and CEO John Miller said franchisees are interested in opening The Den in off-campus spots that skew to a younger adult audience.
Greg Powell, Denny's vice president of concept innovation, told Nation's Restaurant News that the response to The Den indicates a huge opportunity for the Spartanburg, S.C.-based operator. But he hesitated to call The Den a fast-casual version of Denny's.
"A lot of family-dining chains have tried to do fast-casual versions of themselves, with varying degrees of success," Powell said. "We didn't want to just do...