American diner chain Denny’s has reinstalled a commemorative plaque honouring the founding of Nvidia at its San Jose restaurant—just 24 hours after briefly removing it following former CEO Jensen Huang’s abrupt resignation amid an extramarital affairs scandal.
Announcing the reversal on Friday, November 13, 2026, the restaurant chain stated that the booth where Huang and his co-founders brainstormed the idea for the AI chipmaking giant in 1993 represents a milestone in entrepreneurial history that merits preservation regardless of recent executive controversy.
‘America’s Diner’: Preserving the Booth Where Nvidia Began
Originally presented to Huang on September 26, 2023, by Denny’s CEO Kelli Valade, the plaque bears the inscription: “Denny’s dedicates this booth to Nvidia. The booth that launched a $1 trillion company. Congratulations, Nvidia! Who knew that an idea started here would change the world?”
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- The Reinstallation Statement: Explaining why the plaque was swiftly returned to the wall, Denny’s noted that Huang began his working life at the chain as a teenage dishwasher, busboy, and waiter in Portland before returning years later as an entrepreneur to map out Nvidia over endless cups of diner coffee.
- Context of Huang’s Exit: The temporary removal came immediately after the 63-year-old stepped down as Nvidia’s president, CEO, and board member on Thursday following revelations of multiple extramarital relationships—including an alleged affair with Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman assessed by US intelligence agencies to have links to Chinese intelligence, as well as relationships with Nvidia VP of Healthcare Kimberly Powell and a third unnamed employee. CFO Colette Kress has since assumed charge as interim CEO.
”We’re reinstalling the plaque recognizing the conversations at Denny’s that helped launch NVIDIA. Jensen Huang started at Denny’s as a dishwasher. Years later, he and his co-founders gathered in one of our booths to discuss the idea that became NVIDIA. America’s Diner has long been a place where people and ideas come together, and that history deserves to be preserved.”
— Denny’s Official Statement
