The only Denny’s diner in Oakland, California, has shut down after 54 years due to rising crime, the company said this week.
The location at 601 Hegenberg Road in Oakland is now closed permanently, the company said in a memo shared with news outlets.
“Closing a restaurant location is never an easy decision or one taken lightly,” the memo said. “However, the safety and well-being of Denny’s team members and valued guests is our top priority. Weighing those factors, the decision has been made to close this location.”
Staffers who worked at the Oakland location will be offered positions at other locations where they are available.
“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,” Denny’s said.
It is the first time in Denny’s 75 years that the diner chain has been forced to close one of its restaurants.
The decision comes after West Coast burger chain In-N-Out recently announced it would close its Oakland location in March, also due to rising crime.
In May, hundreds of angry residents of the liberal city showed up to a town hall meeting on crime, describing brutal incidents of criminals assaulting women and older people, sometimes in previously safe neighborhoods.
In July, the Oakland chapter of the NAACP blasted city leaders and called for a state of emergency over the city’s crime “crisis.” The black civil rights organization, which tends to lean Left, blamed the “defund the police” movement specifically as part of the reason for the crime spike.
Murders and robberies are all up in Oakland so far this year, according to police data. Homicides are up to nine murders so far this year, compared to eight last year. Robberies are up 32% to more than 280 robberies.
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However, some bright spots in the city’s crime statistics include a 30% drop in aggravated assaults to 165 assaults, and car thefts are down 60% to under 450 thefts so far.
Other Bay Area cities have struggled with rising crime as well.
San Francisco’s worsening trifecta of crime, homelessness, and public drug use has caused many businesses to abandon the city’s once bustling downtown area. This has left many commercial buildings empty and cut into the city’s tax revenue, exacerbating the city’s growing budget deficit, which city officials warned could reach nearly $1.4 billion by 2027.
Denny’s still has two other Bay Area locations in Emeryville and Hayward.
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