Mary Perkins running PR. She has admitted donning disguises and visiting Specsavers stores, posing as a customer. Perkins was made an honorary fellow of Cardiff University in 2005. The same year she received the "Rotary International Community and Vocational Service Award" for her services to charity and in 2006 won the inaugural Spirit of everywoman Award. Perkins was the first female optician in the UK to receive the title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2007. The accolade was also in recognition of her other charitable work, including the Guernsey annual "Specsavers Liberation Tea Dance for
Perkins Restaurant and Bakery Perkins Restaurant and Bakery Perkins Restaurant and Bakery, or simply Perkins, is an American casual dining restaurant chain that serves breakfast throughout the day. It also has a bakery that sells pastries. The Perkins chain was established in 1958, when Matt and Ivan Perkins opened what was called Perkins Pancake House in Cincinnati, Ohio. In the 1960s, the chain expanded as a franchise. One franchisee in Minnesota, Wyman Nelson, introduced an expanded menu and an aggressive advertising campaign in 1967. From 1969 to 1978, Nelson consolidated Perkins and another chain, Smitty's, into Perkins 'Cake & Steak'. From headquarters in Edina,