Exclusive | Dennys to restore Jensen Huang plaque after diner bosses removed it over Nvidia scandal

Denny’s is restoring its local shrine to Nvidia at the Silicon Valley diner where Jensen Huang famously founded the company in 1993 – after “bosses” at the restaurant hastily removed it shortly after the disgraced chip titan resigned as CEO.A framed plaque and photos had long hung above the storied booth at a Denny’s in San Jose, Calif., where Huang and two co-founders – Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem – conjured up what would become the chipmaker that’s leading the artificial intelligence boom. “The booth that launched a $1 trillion company,” the inscription read in all-caps. A Denny’s spokesperson said: “We’re reinstalling the plaque recognizing the conversations at Denny’s that helped launch Nvidia,” but didn’t offer an explanation about why it had been removed.“America’s Diner has long been a place where people and ideas come together, and that history deserves to be preserved.”The Post has sought comment from Huang.On Friday only an empty patch of brick wall and chipped paint were left where the display had been, according to a Post reporter who visited the diner. A source familiar with the situation said the display had been taken down before there were any conversations with “larger stakeholders,” likely referring to Denny’s corporate, which oversees some 1,200 franchise locations across the US.A server at the San Jose, Calif., location told The Post that “bosses” had initially removed the commemorative display. The worker said he had waited on Huang on several occasions and was once given a $300 tip by the tech tycoon.

He said Huang ordered pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage and that Huang gave $100 to every server, cook and dishwasher.“He made my day,” the server added.The plaque was installed during a 2023 ceremony in which Huang – who said he washed dishes and waited tables in a Portland, Ore., Denny’s when he was 15 years old – met with Denny’s CEO at the time, Kelli Valade.

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