It's mid tier, but there's a certain degree of richness to it that's interesting.
You'd get much better making your own. You can tweak things to get the levels of bitterness, sweetness, earthiness, etc.
I mean, obviously the story is fake or exaggerated, but I can imagine someone getting hit with a wave of nostalgia from the taste of it, especially after a long time of not drinking anything chocolate like that. Denny's is better than you'll get out of machines, or if you use water to make it at home. I don't know how they make theirs, but it's as good as the packet hot chocolate made with milk, but a little less "gritty". None of it is really gritty really, but there's a degree of something similar in the mixes that has a similar feel. I'd say chalky, but that isn't right either.
But if you're on the road and in need of a pit stop and something hot, it's better than their coffee for sure
I made my own hot chocolate once. I flew too close to the sun.
I kept adding chocolate (and cocoa powder) and sugar again and again. I wanted to see how much would be too much. Problem was I was tasting it after each iteration. By the time I realized my own taste perception was getting numbed, I had gone way , way too far. Nobody else could even drink it. Even I could only drink half a cup and I was buzzing.
Moral of the story: cleanse your palate kids. It could save your life.
Assuming of course that this is even slightly real, I might guess that OP used to get Denny's hot chocolate with his parents as a small child or something like that. Sense memories can hit you hard, and you might not even necessarily realize what the cause of the wave of emotion is.
Wait, FR? I have an...enthusiasm for chocolate milk. I drink far too much and it basically replaces meals. I actually had to stop buying milk because once I do, I can go through that gallon in a day. If I can get myself to stop, I'm good. But if it's an option it takes priority over all others for consumables in the household
Certain foods, particularly those high in sugar, fat, and salt, trigger the release of dopamine in the brain’s reward centers, leading to feelings of pleasure and satisfaction. This dopamine-induced pleasure drives individuals to compulsively overeat, perpetuating the cycle of food addiction.