For entrepreneurial founders of locally grown Keke’s – Kevin and Keith Mahen — the restaurant chain’s $82 million sale to Denny’s some 16 years after starting is no doubt a dream come true. And rightfully so. For Denny’s, however, it represents a pivot point. With its iconic “Moons-Over-My-Hammy” menu, but deteriorating physical locations, Denny’s must embrace this as an opportunity to reposition itself and, in so doing, escape an inevitable Kmart demise. Denny’s may be bigger today, but if it doesn’t molt, it will be gone tomorrow. For the Mahens, it is indeed the American Dream. For Denny’s, let’s hope it is an $82 million elixir!
Originally posted for the Orlando Sentinel’s Central Florida 100.
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