Owner of the last Denny's in a US city denounces rampant crime, “and no one can stop it,” so restaurant is forced to close immediately

The owner of a closed Denny's branch has cited vandalism and theft as the reason for the restaurant's closure.

After 25 years in California, the last Denny's restaurant in San Francisco closed its doors earlier this month.

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The restaurant chain operates over 1,600 branches in the United States and abroad, but currently no longer has a location in the city of San Francisco that it can call home.

Franchise owner Chris Haque told local broadcaster SFGATE that rampant crime was responsible for the closure.

“We are the only business left and we stayed open until the last day we could,” Haque said.

“The cost of doing business is enormous.

“There is vandalism. People come, eat and leave, and nobody stops them.”

EATING AND BEING

He told the outlet that the “Dinner and Dash” business at the Mission Street branch was very popular, which led to the restaurant's financial losses.

Haque also said that the popularity of the place has declined in recent years due to the culture of the city.

He added that there were fewer conventions in the area than in previous years, on which the 24-hour restaurant's business often depends.

“It’s a beautiful city – we love it, we’ve been there for so many years,” Haque said of the city.

“But I think [city officials] should make it more business-friendly.”

According to SFGATE, the town sign was painted over by August 12.

In 2022, the outlet reported that the now-closed location was the most expensive Denny's in all of California.

Despite the allegedly high prices, fans of the restaurant mourned the loss when the closure was announced by local Fox affiliate KTVU.

“Denny's was the place to go after the club or breakfast with the family, but unfortunately it has become too expensive to eat out often, so now we're having a homemade breakfast!” wrote a former guest on Facebook.

“This is unfortunate. So many beautiful memories,” wrote another.

Haque previously owned a Denny's in the city's Fisherman's Wharf, but it closed in 2019.

SPECIAL MENU RETURN

Denny's has already closed 15 locations this year and warns of further closures, with 57 locations expected to close by 2023.

Chief Financial Officer Robert Verostek said the company was still struggling to recover from financial losses during the pandemic and blamed inflation for the closures.

But Denny's CEO Kelli Valade told investors that the restaurant's fortunes could change with the introduction of new menu items.

The $2, $4, $6 and $8 special menu will soon be offered again in an effort to boost the South Carolina-based restaurant chain.