Denny’s BYO (Build Your Own) Burgers & Shakes

[Account Manager voice] “Yeah, the BYO Burgers and Shakes menu just came back with more revisions. Copywriters are working on [thing]. Can Patrick add some name ideas?”

In 2012, I was on the Denny’s account as an intern in Account Management at EP + Co, assisting account execs with day-to-day stuff for America’s Diner. On a random Thursday afternoon, I was asked to come up with names for BYO (Build Your Own) Burgers and Shakes, one of five annual limited time menus released by Denny's that year. So my first copywriting work is the “Macho Nacho Burger” and the “PB & ‘Nana Shake,” both of which made it through EP + Co copywriters that afternoon and were approved by Denny’s, going to print in the national menu. Build-Your-Own burger and its 37+ ingredients proved so popular that a version of it was added to the Denny's core menu.

Tile image by Rusty Clark. Used with permission under Creative Commons license.