Damien,
The main reason I hestated to ask the directly is because the concensus is for people just to go, because sometimes when you ask they have time to "check on it" and come up with why you can't but if you just do it and show up, they have to come up with something on the spot. It's a "better to ask for forgiveness than permission" kind of thing. I was just going to look for a sign at the front door and if seeing none, just go in. If VI's policy is no guns, then they'd have to (1) notice I was carrying and (2) tell me to leave...and then I'd ask why no sign at the door and take the issue higher up to get official policy!
Definitely, it would be good to know VI's policy, as they are a very "local" chain (El Paso, TX and NM -- unlike Dennys and IHOP) so maybe they go by state law (like Starbucks does) or maybe not. But unlike Dennys and IHOP, there is no CORPORATE VI anymore to take the matter to higher up the chain-of-command: As you may recall, CORPORATE Village Inn (VALCORP in Colorado) went out-of-business about 2 years ago (much like what happened to Steak & Ale and Bennigans -- CORPORATE and corporate-owned stores went out of business but FRANCHISES could stay open)...so what we have now are Village Inn FRANCHISES, so the franchise owner may decide policy of his/her own store/stores. But OTHER VIs with different franchise owners -- like the Verlander family owned VI stores in El Paso, TX -- may have the same policy or something different...there would be no "corporate" at VI to write to which could have ONE "gun policy" for all its stores, or "overrule" a franchise owner who refuses to follow state gun laws (like Starbucks does in each state). So there's no "top dog" boss higher up at VI to ask, just the franchise OWNER. If one VI franchise owner says no guns, then MAYBE another VI franchise owner would say the same or opposite. I don't know who owns the Rio Rancho VI, or if ALL the ABQ area VIs have the same franchise owner or not.
Don't know IHOP's policy (I go to IHOP here in TX all the time but never have asked because in TX we can't OC anyway).
Even if VI says no, we still have the Starbucks (for SURE) next door, or IHOP (maybe)...but at least with IHOP we DO have a Corporate "boss" we could contact.