Denny’s to close locations

[bing101]

https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2025/12/01/one-of-santa-rosas-dennys-closes-amid-sale-of-national-chain-2/

https://www.pennlive.com/nation-world/2025/12/beloved-diner-chain-shuttering-more-locations-weeks-after-620-million-buyout.html

https://rollingout.com/2025/11/29/dennys-closes-150-locations-buyout/

Note this includes a buyout of the company.

[hotdogPi]

Like they've done the last 10 years?

[ZLoth]

The difference between Cracker Barrel, Waffle House, and Denny's, from my perspective for the past seven years, is that I actually wanted to go to Cracker Barrel but haven't since I moved to Texas. And, I've only been to Waffle House once even though it's very close by.

[1995hoo]

The difference between Cracker Barrel, Waffle House, and Denny's, from my perspective for the past seven years, is that I actually wanted to go to Cracker Barrel but haven't since I moved to Texas. And, I've only been to Waffle House once even though it's very close by.

I always think of all three of those chains solely as breakfast places, even though I know they sell other items and are open much longer than just breakfast hours.

None has a location super-close to where I live; the closest is a Denny's. But I am quite thankful the nearest Waffle House is over 20 miles away. Otherwise I'd probably eat there too often and get even more overweight than I already am.

[Max Rockatansky]

I'll take Denny's super deep fried menu over the bland food Cracker Barrel serves any day. 

[hbelkins]

Who was it who proposed a road meet at a Denny's years ago and was roundly ridiculed for it?

[Max Rockatansky]

Who was it who proposed a road meet at a Denny's years ago and was roundly ridiculed for it?

Hell, we started the Bakersfield meet at a McDonald's.  Wasn't like there was many options near the start point in Buttonwillow.  I considered the Denny's equivalent IHOP an exit south on the new alignment of CA 58.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I rarely want breakfast food, so it comes down to which has the better lunch/dinner menus. I like Denny's chicken strips dinner, but beyond that I think Denny's is behind all of Perkins, Barrel, IHOP, and Waffle House for non-breakfast, though I haven't had IHOP since 2018 either.

[hbelkins]

Who was it who proposed a road meet at a Denny's years ago and was roundly ridiculed for it?

Hell, we started the Bakersfield meet at a McDonald's.  Wasn't like there was many options near the start point in Buttonwillow.  I considered the Denny's equivalent IHOP an exit south on the new alignment of CA 58.

We started Day 2 of the Corridor H meet several years back at a Sheetz in Elkins, WV.

[Bobby5280]

The notion of the Denny's restaurant chain being taken over by three private equity firms does not sound good at all. Think of the chain as a parked car. Private equity firms will strip it of its sell-able parts and leave the husk abandoned on blocks.

[Scott5114]

My record for attempting to eat at Denny's continues to stand at a 100% failure rate.

[Jim]

Trying to think if I have been to a Denny's since the last one I can recall for sure: lunch at the former location on Western Ave. in Albany at the foot of the Northway after going with friends to a computer fair to buy PC parts.  Early 1990s.

[Max Rockatansky]

During 2020 at the height of COVID restrictions Denny's on Clovis Avenue was the place to score discounted surplus food and goods.  It sure beat having to stand around outside for an hour plus to get into Costco.  I think we ran out of the commercial toilet paper in summer 2022 while out camping?

[Henry]

I always thought it was founded by someone named Dennis, until I came across this one interesting tidbit from the third link in the OP:

The Denny's story began in 1953 when founder Harold Butler opened Danny's Donuts in Lakewood, California. The business rebranded as Denny's Coffee Shops in 1959 before settling on its current identity and listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 1969.

For generations, Denny's built its reputation on round-the-clock service and approachable American comfort food. The chain became synonymous with late-night meals, post-bar breakfast runs and affordable family dining experiences available any time, day or night.

But then the mystery surrounding Mr. Butler and his business partners came up, and it turns out, none of them were named Dennis either; in fact, Denny's wasn't even the company's original name, it was Danny's instead. So maybe Mr. Butler knew someone named Daniel when he was younger? We may never know for sure, but the news is sure to make him turn over in his grave.

[Bobby5280]

We used to have a Denny's in Lawton on Cache Road. It closed down around 15 years ago. A couple different restaurants tried re-using the building but failed. IHOP moved in around 2015 and has been there ever since.

The Denny's location we had was popular with the late night crowd after the bars and night clubs closed. IHOP would be doing the same thing, but this town has lost most of its night spots. At first I thought it was a local problem, but the club scene seems to be in serious decline everywhere.

Anyway, I don't see Denny's having any sort of future at all with private equity owners.

[Max Rockatansky]

Denny's made a net profit last year.  $21.6 million ain't great but it is better than being in the red.

[seicer]

Eh. I gave up on the chain about ten years ago after a string of visits to locations with exceptionally bad service and poor-quality food. I don't think private equity ownership will improve the bottom line.

[JayhawkCO]

My best recollection is that it's been about 18-20 years since I've been in one.

[1995hoo]

Back in 2009 Denny's gave away free breakfast a couple of days after the Super Bowl (I just did a Google search to confirm what year it was, and 2009 makes sense because I was out of work and thus had time to waste going for free breakfast). The promotion led to insane crowding and lines, to the point where the location nearest to where I live gave out rainchecks to try to make the crowds more manageable. I took one of the rainchecks and went back a few days later. That was the last time I've been to a Denny's. The breakfast was fine, but there is an IHOP near us that is far more convenient to reach and that is probably comparable overall in terms of food. We don't go there very often either, though.

[Flint1979]

It was renamed to avoid confusion with another chain called Coffee Dan's. I imagine it went from Danny's to Denny's because you only needed to change the a to an e. That's what I figure anyway.

[SEWIGuy]

My best recollection is that it's been about 18-20 years since I've been in one.

Bob Evans? I'm there.

Perkins? Eh...in a pinch.

But Denny's? I'm just going to McDonalds.

[JayhawkCO]

My best recollection is that it's been about 18-20 years since I've been in one.

Bob Evans? I'm there.

Perkins? Eh...in a pinch.

But Denny's? I'm just going to McDonalds.

Bob Evans - Never

Perkins - Maybe 10 years ago?

The only "chain breakfast" place I've been to in the past five years is Village Inn, and even that has been probably right at five years ago.

[gonealookin]

The useful aspect of Denny's is being able to get a sit-down meal before 6 a.m.

In the pre-dawn darkness before a flight, or an early tee time at the course, it's much to my preference to be seated in a restaurant and eat an adequate, if not great, breakfast and get a couple warm-ups in the cup of coffee, vs. sitting in the car eating something out of a bag from a drive-thru.

I was somewhere recently where the Denny's was open 24 hours, but they weren't seating anyone in the restaurant before 6 a.m.  It was take-out only.  I definitely rank Waffle House well below Denny's, but in that situation Waffle House is where I went, for the sit-down availability.

If I can wait until 6:00 (in some towns), 6:30 (more often) or 7:00 (always), there's no way I'm going to Denny's (or IHOP).

[ZLoth]

The useful aspect of Denny's is being able to get a sit-down meal before 6 a.m.

In my area, the Denny's (4.4 miles), Waffle House (1.2 miles), IHOP (4.1 miles), and Cafe Brazil (3.6 miles) are all within a few minutes of my house, and are open 24 hours. If I have a sit-down breakfast hunger at 4 AM, Cafe Brazil is where I would go. Oart if the burn-out on Denny's is that there were multiple Toastmaster groups in Sacramento who met at a Dennys.

[Rothman]

Eh. I gave up on the chain about ten years ago after a string of visits to locations with exceptionally bad service and poor-quality food. I don't think private equity ownership will improve the bottom line.

Yeah, this thread caused it to strike me that the last time I was in a Denny's, I ordered a special that was advertised in large letters on their windows and the waiter acted like he didn't know what I was talking about and he just walked away from our table.  Only time in my life that I got up and left a restaurant after being seated.

This was probably 20 years ago or so.

Hasn't been a real conscious thing to avoid Denny's; just sort of sank into my food-seeking behavior.

Sort of amazing how one horrible experience can kill one's patronage of an entire chain, however subtly.