I spent $20 at IHOP, Denny's, and Perkins. One meal blew me away in terms of taste and value.
When the mornings become cooler, I find myself craving warm comfort food. As someone who never skips breakfast, biscuits covered in creamy gravy sounded like an especially satisfying way to start the day.
So, within the same week, I visited IHOP, Denny's, and Perkins, each with a $20 budget, and ordered similar menu items. Here's how it went.
The International House of Pancakes (IHOP) has over 1,700 restaurants around the world. It's owned by Dine Brands, the parent company of Applebee's.
Caffeine was my first order of business, and I noticed that IHOP had several iced-coffee flavors on its menu. I ordered my go-to, a vanilla iced coffee ($3.29), which arrived filled to the brim.
The buttermilk biscuit and gravy combo ($14.29) arrived spread across two plates. It included a sliced buttermilk biscuit with a side of gravy, two eggs, two pork-sausage links, two hickory-smoked bacon strips, and hash browns.
The long, thin sausage links had a classic peppery flavor, which I enjoyed. However, the hash browns were the star of the meal. They had perfectly crispy edges mixed with softer, chewier pieces, and I couldn't get enough of them.
After trying the eggs, breakfast meats, and hash browns, I moved on to the biscuits and gravy, served on a smaller plate. The biscuit was decently sized, lightly toasted, and had a nice buttery flavor.
Denny's is privately owned by TriArtisan Capital Advisors, Treville Capital Group, and Yadav Enterprises, which acquired the chain in January 2026 in a transaction valued at approximately $620 million.
Despite being one of the country's most recognizable diner chains, I had never eaten at the restaurant before. So, I was curious to see how my first experience would turn out.
When I opened the menu, the sweet-cream cold brew immediately caught my attention. It arrived with a small dollop of whipped cream on top, but I noticed the glass wasn't completed full.
At $6.29, it was nearly twice the price of IHOP's iced coffee. I understand that cold brew typically costs more, but that's about what I would spend for a handcrafted drink at Starbucks or a specialty café.
I saw online that Denny's offered a specific biscuits-and-gravy meal, but I didn't see it on the menu during my visit.
Dive deeper
- When the mornings become cooler, I find myself craving warm comfort food. As someone who never skips breakfast, biscuits covered in creamy gravy sounded like an especially satisfying way to start the day.
- So, within the same week, I visited IHOP, Denny's, and Perkins, each with a $20 budget, and ordered similar menu items. Here's how it went.
- The International House of Pancakes (IHOP) has over 1,700 restaurants around the world. It's owned by Dine Brands, the parent company of Applebee's.
- Caffeine was my first order of business, and I noticed that IHOP had several iced-coffee flavors on its menu. I ordered my go-to, a vanilla iced coffee ($3.29), which arrived filled to the brim.
- The buttermilk biscuit and gravy combo ($14.29) arrived spread across two plates. It included a sliced buttermilk biscuit with a side of gravy, two eggs, two pork-sausage links, two hickory-smoked bacon strips, and hash browns.