When the weather gets cooler, I find myself craving warm, comforting food. As someone who never skips breakfast, biscuits smothered in creamy gravy sounded like the perfect way to start my day.
I was curious to see how this meal compared across three well-known breakfast chainsâand which would offer the best value for my money.
So, within the same week, I visited IHOP, Denny’s, and Perkins, each with a $20 budget, and ordered similar menu items. Hereâs how it went.
My first stop of the week was at IHOP.
The International House of Pancakes (IHOP) has over 1,700 restaurants worldwide. Itâs owned by Dine Brands, the parent company of Applebeeâs.
I frequented IHOP growing up, and although I hadnât been back in a while, I was excited to see if the chain still lived up to my memories.
I started with my go-to coffee order.
Caffeine was my first priority, and I noticed that IHOP had several icedâcoffee flavors on its menu. I ordered my usual vanilla iced coffee ($3.29), which arrived brimming over.
It tasted like something I could make at home by chilling coffee from my Keurig and adding vanilla creamer. It was basic, but I appreciated that it wasnât overly sweet or artificial.
My breakfast came with a generous serving of food.
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 porkâsausage links, two hickoryâsmoked bacon strips, and hash browns.
The bacon strips were generously sized and not overly fatty, though I wished they had been crispier. I ordered my eggs sunnyâside up, and they were perfectly cooked.
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 couldnât get enough of them.
Unfortunately, the biscuits and gravy were underwhelming.
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.
However, the gravy was too thin and watery for my taste. Although it had visible flecks of seasoning, it tasted fairly bland on its own and was easily overpowered by the biscuitâs flavor.
In total, I spent $17.58 at IHOP, before tax and tip.
Next, I headed to Dennyâs.
Dennyâs 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.
Dennyâs website currently lists 1,231 locations in the U.S., making it another major player in the familyâdining game.
Despite being one of the countryâs 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.
I started my meal with a pricey cold brew.
When I opened the menu, the sweetâcream cold brew immediately caught my attention. It arrived with a small dollop of whipped cream on top, but I noticed the glass wasnât completely full.
I wasnât expecting coffeeâshop quality from a chain restaurant, but the drink tasted overly sweet and artificial.
At $6.29, it was nearly twice the price of IHOPâs iced coffee. I understand that cold brew typically costs more, but thatâs about what I would spend for a handcrafted drink at Starbucks or a specialty cafĂ©.
The portion seemed smaller than the one I got at IHOP.
I saw online that Dennyâs offered a specific biscuitsâandâgravy meal, but I didnât see it on the menu during my visit.
However, my server said I could create a similar one by ordering the buildâyourâown Slam ($14.77), so I chose components that closely matched my IHOP breakfast.
Unlike my meal at IHOP, which required two plates, everything at Dennyâs fit on one plate. The bacon strips seemed a bit smaller, and although they werenât overly fatty, they werenât particularly crispy either.
The sausage links had a sharper, more peppery flavor, but they were also so greasy that I couldnât finish both.
My sunnyâsideâup eggs, on the other hand, were cooked perfectly and had nicely crisped edges. Once again, the hash browns were my favorite part of the plate, with a nice crisp on the top and bottom.
The gravy was thick, but in my opinion, it still lacked flavor.
These biscuits were on the smaller and fluffier side, with no visible toast marks. The inside had a soft, almost cakeâlike texture and a classic savory biscuit flavor.
The gravy was served on top and was noticeably thicker than what I received at IHOP, with a slight buttery taste. However, it was very pale, with no visible flecks of seasoning. Despite its thicker consistency, I still found the flavor underwhelming.
In total, I spent $21.06 at Dennyâs before tax and tip, which was slightly over the $20 budget I set for myself.
Lastly, I tried my luck at Perkins Restaurant and Bakery.
Perkins Restaurant and Bakery is owned by Ascent Hospitality Management and has 222 locations in the U.S., making it the smallest of the three chains I visited.
I vaguely remember visiting Perkins as a child, and although its food didnât ring a bell, its cozy, homey atmosphere definitely did.
I was served a large amount of iced coffee, but it tasted watered down.
When I asked about iced coffee, my server explained that the restaurant could pour its hot coffee over ice and serve it with creamer. To keep things consistent, I decided to go for it.
The coffee arrived in a large metal cup with lots of ice, along with a separate glass of ice and a bowl of different creamers. There was certainly plenty of it, but after I poured myself a glass and added Frenchâvanilla creamer, it tasted much too watery for me.
At $3.50, though, it was reasonably priced, and I wasnât expecting the same quality Iâd receive from a specialty coffee shop.
The hash browns werenât great, but the overall portion felt like a good value.
Perkinsâ countryâsausage biscuit breakfast ($14.79) included two sausage biscuits topped with creamy gravy and American cheese, two eggs, two bacon strips, and a choice of hash browns or breakfast potatoes. Like the meal at Dennyâs, it was served on one plate.
I thought the bacon strips were a decent size and had a warm, smoky flavor, though they still werenât as crispy as I would have liked. But once again, my sunnyâsideâup eggs were perfect.
The hash browns, on the other hand, had a few crispy pieces, but most werenât as golden or as toasted as the ones I received at the other restaurants. The portion was generous, but the taste was a bit underwhelming and could have used more salt.
The sausage biscuits really won me over.
What set this meal apart was the way Perkins served its biscuits and gravy.
Instead of placing sausage links on the side as the other chains had, each of the two biscuits was split and filled with a sausage patty, creating two small breakfast sandwiches.
They were then covered in gravy and finished with American cheese, which I thought was a nice touch. These âsandwichesâ made the meal feel more substantial and filling than the other breakfasts I had tried.
Plus, the sausage patties were rich and flavorful without tasting overly greasy, and the biscuits were large, soft, and moist inside. The gravy had a smooth consistency and visible flecks of seasoning, along with a peppery kick that paired well with the sausage.
In total, I spent $18.29 at Perkins, before tax and tip.
Overall, I thought the meal from Perkins offered great valueâand itâs the only one I would order again.
Before tax and tip, I spent $17.58 at IHOP, $21.06 at Dennyâs, and $18.29 at Perkins.
The meal from IHOP was the cheapest and included a generous amount of food across two plates. It also had my favorite hash browns and iced coffee of the three. However, because the gravy was watery and bland, I wouldnât order this specific meal again.
For only $0.71 more, Perkins gave me a similarly generous breakfast that felt even more filling because of the sausageâbiscuit sandwiches. The thicker, seasoned gravy also made its version of the main dish my favorite.
Dennyâs, meanwhile, was underwhelmingâand the most expensive stop. Its $6.29 cold brew significantly increased my total, and I didnât think it was worth the price.
Ultimately, Perkins offered the best combination of taste, portion size, and price. If I were craving this meal again, it would be my easy choice.
Business Insider reached out to IHOP, Dennyâs, and Perkins for comment.