Denny's Unveils 16 New Items on Healthier Menu

Denny's has created a healthier menu that comes with 16 new items and smaller portions. It's part of the restaurant's negotiation with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) to decrease the amount of sodium and fat across all menu items within three years. Denny's is rolling out new sections of its menu each month over the summer. The restaurant chain has added new items for its breakfast slams including turkey bacon, wheat pancakes and egg whites.

Many of the items on the "Better For You" menu have reduced fat or sodium. It offers more options for guests with special, dietary needs with some items that have little or no sugar. Other new options on the menu include fresh fruit, granola and yogurt.

"It actually launched yesterday and it offers guests a variety of Better For You choices around Breakfast," said Alice Crowder, head of new product development for Denny's. "Guests can chose as part of their Build Your Own Grand Slam if they want regular bacon or turkey bacon, they can choose chicken sausage, hearty wheat pancakes. A lot of healthy alternatives to their favorites. As well as some new items like low-fat yogurt with fruit garnish, fresh fruit mix and even granola."

New menu items include the Fit Fare Tilapia Dinner, Fit Fare Grilled chicken Sandwich, Fit Fare Slim Sam without topping, Fit Fare Pot Roast Dinner with gravy, Fit Fare Grilled Chicken Breast Salad, Fit Fare Boca Burger with small fruit bowl and Fit Fare Roast Turkey and stuffing with gravy. Other new additions include skinny moons, baked potato with skin, side garden salad without dressing and a turkey breast salad without dressing. These items come with less fat, carbohydrates and protein.

"We've actually been improving the menu in stages," Crowder said. "A couple months ago, we came out with alternatives for instead of just eggs, guests can choose egg whites in any of our dishes. We can allow people to substitute a typical veggie dish with a nice fresh vegetables with a little bit of ranch dressing instead of fries, Boca Burgers instead of burgers. So we're doing a gradual improvement in healthier options as we go. Every couple of months we'll be introducing something new for the guests."

Some of the regular menu items will now come in smaller portions. The meatloaf portion will be one-third smaller, the Brownies will be 30 percent smaller. The amount of sodium in shrimp skewers was reduced by 25 percent, cheese sauce by 20 percent and hash browns by 25 percent.

"We do have some smaller plates," the head of new product development said. "We have a range of sizes. Those are clearly spelled out on the menu. With the Build Your Own Grand Slam for example, guests can chose whether to have a plate of four items or five or six. Just depending on their taste."

The kids menu is also being updated with new items: dippable vegetable sticks (carrots, celery and cucumber), apple slices, spaghetti, Jell-O and yogurt. Denny's will eliminate or replace certain items on the children's menu with high sodium or fat.

"Coming in July, we have a brand new kids menu," Crowder added. "The theme of the kids menu is going to be all about getting outside and getting active. A number of new Better For You choices have been added to that menu as well. Parents will see both an encouragement to get their kids active as well as a number of new and expanded list of Better For You choices."

Denny's will continue updating its menu with new items that have smaller portions and less sodium.

"Well it is all about choice, what we've done is a: make them available," the head of new product development said. "A wide variety of Better For You items, which is unusual I think amongst our competitors. We have so many choices. And then we've made sure that they are affordable so there's not a premium attached to a majority of these items and that it tastes great. Everything on the menu is really delicious and crave able."

Click here to view the new menu from Denny's Restaurants.