I grew up going to Denny's. In my college years, it was the best late night spot for an easy meal. But I never really thought about the food on my plate (at Denny's specifically) until yesterday. 

Yesterday, as I stopped by a Starbucks located near my local Denny's, I spotted protesters outside of the classic diner. Then I heard the chants: "Denny's: pigs don't belong in cages!" and "no excuse for animal abuse!"

Of course I agreed.

Then I saw the posters, and the large banner with a terrified pig in a metal cage. Could this be true?

I had to find out more. I approached a woman at the protest and asked what was going on. I learned that back in 2012, Denny's made a commitment to stop buying pork from farms that use these metal cages. They promised (publicly) that by 2022, they would no longer pay for this extremely cruel practice. 

But they lied. Their website now states that "As of December 29, 2021, approximately 32% of pork products served in our restaurants was sourced from suppliers that at least do not house "confirmed" pregnant sows in gestation crates. Here's what that means: a pig's pregnancy period is 16 weeks, and confirmation of pregnancy typically happens at 4-6 weeks after conception. In this system, sows are housed in gestation crates for the first 4-6 weeks of each pregnancy and then moved into groups for the remaining ~10 weeks."

It also mentions that "Denny's will work to create an action plan for reaching that goal, which we aim to publish by the end of 2022. We will also provide annual updates and remain focused on promoting responsible sourcing."

Not only does this mean that the majority of mother pigs in Denny's supply chain are still locked in cages, but they no longer have any deadline to fully reach 100% cage-free, as they promised. Also, where is their "annual update"?

I also learned that several other companies have been sticking to their commitments. Companies like Burger King, Wendy's, McDonald's, and Starbucks have strong policies and are being transparent about where they are in their transition away from cages. 

There is no excuse for Denny's to be so far behind. There is no excuse for animals to be subjected to such cruelty. 

Denny's CAN and MUST do better! Until then, no more Grand Slams in my future.