It turned out to be a great publicity stunt for Denny's restaurants, and a sign of the hard economic times. Hundreds of thousands of people lined up across the nation Tuesday for a free breakfast.

Across the country, hundreds of thousands lined up for a free meal. A free Grand Slam Breakfast was on the menu at Denny's, and most customers waited at least an hour to get inside.

Brenda Floria who was recently laid off says it was a deal for her family she couldn't pass up.

"Cause of the economy, so if you get a free meal it's ok," Florida said.

In fact everyone we talked is feeling the pinch.

"Is five bucks or ten bucks a lot of money, yes right now yes. The way the economy is right now, it sure is, every penny counts," customer Susan Contreras said.

"There have been a lot of lay offs, and I got to save where I can too and this is a good way to save," Shirl Hegg, Denny's customer said.

At the Denny's in Los Angeles people started lining up at 4a.m. Tuesday morning. Five cooks have been cranking out 125 grand slams an hour.

"We thought there was going to be a little line, but not this big," one worker said.

Denny's gambled on the promotion, advertising the free meals during the Superbowl. The South Carolina based company estimates they'll give away 2-million breakfasts, at $6 each.

Denny's is hoping this will help them stay competitive in tougher times.