Mega-chains do well to customize their locations to the local area where they reside. I remember seeing local high school sports memorabilia in an Applebee's at a (very) young age and special murals honoring the local surf scene run throughout my local Trader Joe's and Albertsons.

Denny's new flagship location in downtown Las Vegas is cashing in on the local brand with a full cocktail bar and – I wish I was kidding – a wedding chapel. Nothing says 'our special day' quite like the drab late-night diner I go to expecting and consistently receiving the worst service and most pedestrian food possible.

In formulating a properly cheeky title for this post, my instinct was to work in a jab about pancake puppies – one of the restaurant's more high profile items. I couldn't quite find the joke to fit the space and I quickly found that Denny's had beat me to the punch anyway. Chief Marketing Officer Frances Allen is not hesitant to advertise the store's special wedding cake made out of the little fried balls of batter.

Other unique attractions of this special Denny's include a photo booth (with instant upload to Facebook and Twitter, because phones totally don't do that), a bacon-flavored martini, and two Elvis-themed offerings – the King Stack and King Milkshake – both consisting of bananas, bacon, and peanut butter. I guess they haven't seen that South Park episode in which Cartman loses himself to Baconalia.

The unintentional self-parody doesn't stop there, with CMO Allen citing Denny's as "the original social network." I know not to take marketing mumbo-jumbo too seriously and she is clearly referring to online social networks, but I think there are some ancient hominids out there that would take serious offense to that claim on its face. But hey, I'm not one to impose my haughty standards on the masses that keep Denny's 1,680 worldwide locations thriving. I just fear that the first couple to post their Denny's wedding pics on Facebook are in for a viral backlash only Rebecca Black could handle.

via NRN