Client's Challenge
Denny’s Restaurants, a well-known dining chain in the USA, approached us with a challenge that many growing businesses face: outdated and ineffective onboarding materials.
Their existing training for new shift leaders and managers relied on static PDF documents — some stretching over 300 pages. These lengthy, text-heavy files were difficult to digest, hard to navigate, and inconsistent in how they were delivered across locations. Managers often had to dedicate significant time to working through the documents, with no clear way to track progress or effectiveness.
Denny’s Learning & Development team knew they needed a more modern, flexible solution that aligned with their brand and met the needs of a fast-paced restaurant environment.
Our Solution
Working closely with Denny’s central L&D department, we set out to convert the static PDFs into a series of engaging, interactive online training courses that could be easily accessed and tracked by both learners and leadership.
Here’s what we delivered:
- Modular eLearning courses designed to replace the bulk of the original documents, broken into manageable, role-specific learning paths
- Fully branded design, reflecting Denny’s visual identity, tone, and customer experience culture
- Interactive exercises, scenarios, and knowledge checks to make learning more dynamic and memorable
- Updated imagery and content tailored to the real-world restaurant setting
- Seamless online delivery allowing learners to complete training at their own pace — with tracking and analytics built in for oversight and compliance
The Results
The project was a huge success. Denny’s now delivers a polished, digital-first onboarding experience that sets the tone from day one. Key results include:
- All new shift leaders and managers now complete onboarding online via the new eLearning system
- The old PDF format has been fully retired, improving consistency and saving hours of manual review time
- Learners enjoy a more engaging and brand-aligned experience, boosting knowledge retention and confidence
- Denny’s L&D team can now track progress and performance across the business, making onboarding more measurable and manageable
The feedback from both leadership and new team members has been overwhelmingly positive — and the new solution has become a model for future training development at Denny’s.