US diner giant bows to pressure – promises to scrap cruel pig crates after 600‑day campaign
These cages are among the cruellest forms of animal confinement, forcing pregnant pigs to stand for their entire 16-week pregnancies in metal enclosures barely larger than their own bodies. While they are banned in the UK, similar cages known as ‘farrowing crates’ are still legally permissible, causing extreme suffering to over 200,000 mother pigs each year.
Denny’s renewed commitment comes in response to widespread public pressure: nationwide protests across more than a dozen cities, two powerful billboards in New York’s Times Square, full-page ads targeting company leadership in local newspapers, and even coordinated action from Animal Equality’s supporters in the UK and elsewhere globally.
The company has now pledged to ban gestation crates and to provide regular updates on its progress to protect mother pigs.
Following Denny’s lead, IHOP – another major American restaurant chain – has also issued its own commitment to end the use of gestation crates in its supply chain.
Inside the 600-day campaign
Since launching our campaign against Denny’s in January 2023, Animal Equality has staged over 20 protests in cities across the United States – including Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Nashville. At each demonstration, our dedicated advocates held posters and engaged with the public outside Denny’s locations, urging diners to reconsider supporting a company linked to such extreme animal cruelty.
In August 2023, the campaign gained national visibility when a billboard lit up New York’s Times Square with a powerful message: ‘Denny’s, animal abuse is bad for business’. The billboard featured disturbing scenes of pigs confined in gestation crates – unable to move, their suffering painfully evident behind metal bars.
Soon after, Animal Equality’s President, Sharon Núñez, and Campaigns Manager, Dane Charbeneau, hit the streets of New York City to distribute leaflets and share footage of conditions within Denny’s supply chain. The public response was one of overwhelming concern and dismay.
Our team also travelled to Denny’s headquarters in Spartanburg, South Carolina, to deliver a document representing tens of thousands of messages from concerned consumers.
As Denny’s continued to ignore growing calls for reform, Animal Equality expanded its efforts. In late 2023, we turned our attention to Den-Tex Central, one of Denny’s largest franchisees, urging owner Dawn LaFreeda to oppose the use of gestation crates. Simultaneously, we called on Finn Partners – Denny’s international PR and marketing agency – to end its association with cruelty, holding a demonstration outside their flagship New York City location.
Not just a US victory: the power of international collaboration
Animal Equality’s campaign against Denny’s didn’t stop at the US border. In the UK, more than 1,000 supporters joined the movement, taking action to hold Denny’s international partners accountable. With Finn Partners – Denny’s global PR and marketing agency – operating offices worldwide, including in London, UK-based advocates made it clear: the world is watching, and company reputations are on the line.
Supporters sent messages directly to Finn Partners’ UK office, urging them to share these concerns with their American colleagues and to reconsider their agency’s relationship with a brand complicit in cruelty.
Witnessing a company that prides itself on having a ‘heart and a conscience’ and is committed to ‘driving positive change’ associating with a brand involved in such cruel practices is not only disheartening but also clearly misaligned with your own brand ethos.
As an animal advocate based in the UK, I urge Finn Partners UK to convey these serious concerns raised by your international supporters to your American colleagues.This presents a pivotal opportunity for Finn Partners to leverage its influence positively and encourage Denny’s to end the use of these inhumane crates. Should Denny’s continue to de-prioritise animal welfare, I implore Finn Partners to take a stand against animal abuse by reconsidering its partnership.
This victory is a testament not only to persistence but also to the power of collective action and international collaboration. You can be part of the next global win for animals by joining our dedicated group of activists who take part in coordinated online and offline campaigns.
Beyond Denny’s: who’s next?
This victory adds to a growing list of wins in Animal Equality’s campaign to end the extreme confinement of pigs and chickens. In 2022, Compass Group renewed its anti-gestation crate commitment, followed by Delaware North and food giant Conagra, parent company of Slim Jim and Swiss Miss.
Now, attention is turning to new targets: Ahold Delhaize and Marriott International.
Ahold Delhaize – a global food retailer owning brands like Food Lion and Stop & Shop – promised over a decade ago to eliminate cages, yet continues to break its word. Marriott pledged in 2016 to go cage-free for hens used for their eggs by 2025. With the deadline just months away, its silence is deafening.
Companies like Marriott and Ahold Delhaize made public pledges to end cruel cages but neither has so far delivered, choosing profit over progress. Time is running out – and millions of farmed animals are still suffering extremely in cages.
We have one simple request and that’s for these corporations to end cages now, as they promised they would. Further delays are a betrayal of animals and consumer trust. The world is watching and we will not be silenced.
– Abigail Penny, Animal Equality UK’s Executive Director.
Across the world, we are uniting to hold corporations accountable for animal cruelty. Over 48 hours, protests erupted across the Netherlands as demonstrators targeted Ahold Delhaize with support from UK-based volunteers. At a shareholder meeting, Animal Equality confronted company executives about their continued use of cruel cages.
Here in London, our activists have taken to the streets, staging protests outside businesses linked to Ahold Delhaize – including Pandora, Bunzl, and Albert Heijn. With placards, leaflets, and powerful conversations, we called on industry leaders to use their influence to drive meaningful change.
We have also demonstrated outside the Marriott, urging the hotel giant to fulfill its public cage-free egg commitment.
Your voice can end cages
Ready to make an impact for animals? Join our Digital Animal Protector Network and take part in upcoming protests and campaigns. Our success proves that when people speak up, change happens. Your voice and your presence matter – this fight needs every one of us.
Our mission goes beyond ending cages. At Animal Equality, we’re fighting for a world where animals aren’t farmed at all – a world built on compassion and plant-based living. Together, we can replace cruelty with kindness at its very roots. Visit loveveg.uk for delicious plant-based recipes today.
protect pigs
Pigs are highly social animals who are often considered smarter than dogs. You can protect these intelligent animals by simply choosing plant-based alternatives.
