managers and above all our customers . This Free Slam Day has exceeded our expectations in every way . '' iReport.com : Miami customers line up for Denny 's meal Denny 's does n't disclose specific cost information , but including the cost of the food , the Super Bowl spot and other production costs , the promotion cost the company roughly $ 5 million , it said . The Grand Slam started as a baseball-related promotion in Atlanta , Georgia , in the mid-1970s and has been served chainwide since 1977 . Its normal price varies by market but averages around $ 5.99 . Denny 's said it sells 12.5 million Grand Slams a year . At the normal average price of $ 5.99 , Denny 's gave away meals Tuesday with a retail value of $ 11.9 million . But the goodwill value could be priceless . iReport.com : Vouchers run out at Georgia Denny 's `` The key is to get the guest to come back , '' Troy Morgan , a Denny 's franchisee in Sacramento , California , told CNN affiliate KCRA-TV . `` So , we show them great hospitality and we 're confident
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Denny 's restaurants served about 2 million free Grand Slam breakfasts during its eight-hour promotional giveaway on Tuesday , the company reported Wednesday . Cooks fill the pass-through window with Grand Slam breakfasts Tuesday at a Denny 's in Emeryville , California . The company used a commercial during the third quarter of Sunday 's Super Bowl to announce it would give away its signature breakfast from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday , and the response was spectacular . Media outlets across North America reported lines of customers stretching outside and around restaurants and strangers crowding together into booths to take advantage of the special . The restaurant chain 's approximately 1,500 stores served an average of 130 Grand Slams per hour to customers who waited an average of 60 minutes for their free pancakes , eggs , bacon and sausage , the company said . `` We had an extraordinary day , '' Denny 's CEO Nelson Marchioli said when the promotion was over . `` We were hoping to reconnect with millions of Americans today , and we did . `` We have received the most heartwarming comments from our servers , our