Sweet or savory? With a whole 25 toppings to choose from, after school is getting a lot more delicious.
Casual restaurants like Denny’s have long been frequented by students in Japan as a place to stop by after school for a cheap bite to eat or study for a couple of hours, thanks to the unlimited refills at the drink bar.
Back in September, Denny’s Japan released the first phase of their new #Deni-bu project that is aimed at students. With the name using the Japanese “bu” that denotes a school “club”, Denny’s are hoping to create an atmosphere that sees more students stopping by after school, much like they would do for their after school club activities.
The first phase consisted of an offer of a serving of fries with the unlimited drink bar for an astounding price of just 500 yen (US$3.20), perfect for enjoying while having a lively conversation with your friends. Seeing as how the normal menu prices for this combination would cost 1,111 yen, it makes it quite a deal.
Now, the second phase is being introduced: the “Crispy Crepe”.
It involves an arrangement of crepes, one of the most popular desserts among young people in Japan, and uses the same batter as Denny’s Japan’s beloved Caramel Honey Pancake, so there are no doubt high expectations for the Crispy Crepe.
The Crispy Crepe menu comes in a total of three varieties:
● Crispy Crepe: Sugar Butter + Drink Bar
● Mini Crispy Crepe and Mini Fries with Two Toppings of Your Choice + Drink Bar
● Mini Crispy Crepe and Vanilla Ice Cream with Two Toppings of Your Choice + Drink Bar
The regular price of 880 yen for these menu items drops to 500 yen when you show your student ID. While it’s possible to order the crepe as a standalone item, if you order it as part of this combo you can choose two toppings from a selection of 25, with any additional toppings costing an extra 55 yen each.
On paper, the Crispy Crepe looks to be a promising product both visually and financially, but how about the real deal?
Well… it’s huge.
It’s roughly about the size of a large naan bread, and if you were to place it in a fancy mansion, you might be able to pass it off as stylish interior decor.
It also possesses a vague resemblance to a baseball glove, though it would seem a waste of good food to try attempting to catch with it.
If you’re lucky, you might even be able to find some interestingly-shaped marks on the crepe; we found one that kind of looks like a person.
Taking a bite, the sweet sensation of buttery sugar fills your mouth, and with both crispy parts and soft parts, it’s delicious even without any of the toppings.
Next, we tried the Mini Crispy Crepe and Mini Fries.
At the tasting event we were at, whipped cream and caramel sauce were provided as toppings. Adjusting the flavors accentuates the deliciousness of the crepe in different ways.
However, we couldn’t help but also get curious about the savory options, so we were specially allowed to try five different toppings: chicken, boiled egg, curry sauce, cod roe mayonnaise sauce, and salad.
All of the toppings were incredibly tasty, but we were partial to the boiled egg and curry sauce combination. The curry sauce used is the same one used in Denny’s curry doria, a type of Japanese rice gratin, so you can be confident that the curry used is a delicious one.
During product development, Denny’s took into account the opinions of actual high school students who work at the chain, so this offer already has the seal of approval from high schoolers even before it’s reached the launch date.
The second phase started from November 19, and all students who are in junior high school and above can enjoy the featured menus for 500 yen, between the hours of 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. on weekdays, just by showing their student ID or with the Deni-bu Student ID on the Denny’s app when paying.
Even for those of us who are still young at heart, but unfortunately don’t meet the requirements to join the Deni-bu, we can still enjoy our inner youth, although we do have to pay the regular price of 880 yen. On the plus side, the crepes are also available at night, so they might make a good companion for a little alcoholic drink, too.
Given the nature of the wording of “first phase” and “second phase”, some people might assume that the Deni-bu is a limited-time only offer. However, as of this moment, there is no set end date, so there are many crepes awaiting you in the future. The next time you feel like reliving your youth, swing into Denny’s with some friends and experiment with the various crepe toppings for a deliciously nostalgic get together.
Related: Deni-bu Website
Photos ©SoraNews24
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[ Read in Japanese ]
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