This Classic Diner-Style Chain Restaurant Has Made A Surprising Number Of Movie Cameos

From "Taxi Driver" (1976) to "Grease" (1978), diners have served as the backdrop for some of the most iconic on-screen moments in cinematic history. The Jules redemption scene in "Pulp Fiction" (1994) happens in a diner, and in David Lynch's surrealist "Mulholland Drive" (2001), a diner is the setting for the crucial pivot point of the entire film. Epicures and actors often fall into the same demographic, and indeed, the connection between cinema and restaurants is legendary. But, the particular diner chain that has made a surprising number of cameos is one that diner-lovers across America have likely chowed down at before: Denny's.

This everyman's diner-style chain is all about affordable prices and filling portion sizes of unpretentious fare. Since the 1950s, Denny's has been attracting hungry (and potentially wayward) foodies of all walks of life with all-day breakfast and 24/7 operating hours at some locations. This radical accessibility has also made the diner chain an ideal venue for the heroes and antiheroes of television and film to hang their hats. As of April 2025, according to data analytics firm ScrapeHero, Denny's has 1,344 locations in the U.S., with a presence in every single state except Delaware. Perhaps notably, the state with the highest concentration of Denny's restaurants is California (354), which also happens to be the epicenter of Hollywood (hello, on-screen diner cameos). Denny's-fan-cinephiles can keep an eye out for their favorite diner chain during their next movie night.

Since Hopper's "Nighthawks," diners are notoriously steeped in an air of artistic romanticism — so it's no wonder why directors and screenwriters have looked to diners for bringing their scripts to life. Even though Denny's closed multiple locations this year, and even though we rank IHOP's pancakes higher, it's for its casual, low-stakes vibe that Denny's has hosted some of the most iconic scenes in cinema over the past few decades.

In one of the most famous episodes of the series, Walter White and Jesse Pinkman rip a Denny's breakfast in "Breaking Bad" (2011), clad in matching Kenny Rogers t-shirts hastily snagged from a nearby supermarket ("large" size sticker still visibly attached to the shirtfront). Decades before that, a young Jack Nicholson dines at a retro-hued, technicolor Denny's in "Five Easy Pieces" (1970). A curmudgeonly server and a hard-headed Nicholson dispute his picky, particular order for several minutes until the actor and his dining companions are thrown out of the restaurant.

After accidentally burning the holiday turkey, Tim Allen and his young son visit the diner in "The Santa Clause" (1994). Pulling into the parking lot, Allen grins, "Alright, Denny's, it's always open!" From the passenger seat, the fussy kiddo whines, "I don't wanna eat here," to which an enthused, unfazed Allen replies, "What are you talking about? Everybody likes Denny's! It's an American institution!" (We concur ... and "plain milk's fine.")