San Francisco loses its only Denny's restaurant
The location ceased operations on Aug. 1 and was there for 25 years
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San Francisco has lost its only Denny’s restaurant.
The restaurant permanently stopped feeding guests in the Union Square area of San Francisco’s downtown at the beginning of August, SFGATE reported Monday.
The outlet cited the franchised location’s operator, Chris Haque. He reportedly said the restaurant "operated until the last day that we could."
A Denny's restaurant sign in Kissimmee, Florida, on Jan. 25, 2019. (John Greim/LightRocket via / Getty Images)
The location had an almost 25-year run prior to its closure, according to SFGATE.
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It was reportedly negatively impacted by dining and dashing and other factors.
"The cost of doing business is tremendous. There’s vandalism, and people come and eat and walk away, and there’s no one to stop them," Haque reportedly said.
Having fewer conventions come to town in recent years had a negative impact, too, he told SFGATE.
Conventions in San Francisco plummeted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been improvement in recent years, with the Moscone Center serving as the site for 33 events in 2022 and 34 last year, according to a report from the San Francisco Travel Association.
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Denny’s confirmed to FOX Business that Haque’s location in San Francisco shuttered earlier this month and said it "does not comment on the closure specifics for our franchise locations." A majority of the chain’s restaurants around the world are franchised.
A Denny's restaurant in Kennewick, Washington. (Don and Melinda Crawford/UCG/Universal Images Group via / Getty Images)
"We echo Chris Haque’s sentiments that Denny’s loves San Francisco and the Bay area, and closing a restaurant location is never an easy decision. Denny’s offers its heartfelt thanks to the team members and the local community for their love of the Denny’s brand; it has been a pleasure serving you."
The company also noted the Denny’s location in south San Francisco was still operating, as well as 40 others across the San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose market.
Union Square, the area that the now-closed Denny’s called home, was hit hard during the pandemic, seeing many companies go remote and fewer people coming to the area. Other parts of the city also saw impacts.
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The city’s mayor, London Breed, rolled out plans to help revitalize downtown and its economy last year.