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Last remaining Denny’s in San Francisco closes over plague of dine-and-dashers

By
Ariel Zilber
Published Aug. 13, 2024, 2:06 p.m. ET

The last remaining Denny’s in San Francisco closed its doors this month because customers would frequently leave without paying their bill in the crime-plagued city, according to the restaurant’s owner.

Chris Haque shuttered the 24-hour diner at 816 Mission St. near the Union Square section on Aug. 1 after 25 years.

“We’re the only store left, and we operated until the last day that we could,” Haque told SFGATE.

The owner of the last remaining Denny's in San Francisco blamed crime and the rising cost of doing business for his decision to shutter the restaurant.
The owner of the last Denny’s in San Francisco blamed crime and the rising cost of doing business for his decision to shutter the restaurant. Google Maps

“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 also lamented the fact that a key source of revenue — business conventions — had dried up in recent years due to the tech industry shifting to hybrid work during the pandemic.

“It’s a beautiful city — we love it, we have been there so many years,” Haque said.

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

The Post has sought comment from Denny’s.

In 2022, Haque’s Denny’s was dubbed with the dubious distinction of being named the most expensive in all of California.

The cheapest meal — the Fit Slam, which comes with an egg white scramble with spinach and tomatoes, turkey bacon and an English muffin — cost $17.99, which was $5 more than the meal cost at a Denny’s in San Diego or Los Angeles, according to SFGATE.

The last remaining Denny's restaurant in San Francisco is closing its doors for good after nearly a quarter-century in business.
The last remaining Denny’s restaurant in San Francisco is closing its doors for good after nearly a quarter-century in business. Google Maps

Earlier this year, another Denny’s diner located across the Bay in Oakland closed down after 54 years due to a surge in crime in the area.

Fast food chain In-N-Out also shut down its Oakland location this year because of a rash of violent crime and theft.

Since 2020, scores of companies have moved their headquarters out of the San Francisco Bay Area due to a decline in the quality of life, rising cost of living and surging crime.

Scores of businesses have relocated from the San Francisco Bay Area in recent years due to a decline in quality of life.
Scores of businesses have relocated from the San Francisco Bay Area in recent years due to a decline in quality of life. AP

Tesla, Chevron, American Airlines, Oracle, Palantir and Charles Schwab are among the dozens of blue-chip firms that have shifted personnel away from Northern California in favor of low-tax jurisdictions in Texas, Florida and other states.

Denny’s operates more than 1,700 restaurants in several countries, including the US, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, United Arab Emirates and Honduras.