Another Popular Restaurant in Central New York to Permanently Close
The bad new continues for Central New York's breakfast scene.
A popular joint known for its hefty portions and fluffy pancakes is going dark by the end of this week.
The sad news follows a string of rapid fire closures that have rattled more than just the Mohawk Valley. Although we're not even four months into 2025, the amount of businesses that went under is close to surpassing what we lost last year.
Read More: The Restaurants and Businesses Central New York Lost in 2024
Restaurants have been especially hit hard, with the area losing popular staples like Smoking Guns Saloon and The Inn Between.
The month of March ramped things up with the announced closures of Osceola Outpost in Tug Hill and the Denny's in Camillus, which had been going strong for 26 years.
Now the month of March has claimed another victim, the Denny's in Rome.
Rome Loses Another Restaurant
Following a week of rumors, staff working at the Denny's at 200 South James Street confirmed the diner is closing its doors forever.
Fans of their Grand Slams and shakes have until Sunday, March 30, to fuel up one last time.
Denny's is in the process of closing roughly 180 locations nationwide as part of a larger restructuring effort to eliminate underperforming restaurants, according to USA Today.
The plan, unfortunately, includes the Rome location.
Denny's Planning on Closing 180 Restaurants, Open More Nationwide
Denny's closed 88 locations late last year, and Chief Financial Officer Robert Verostek said about 90 more restaurants will go dark by the end of 2025. The company has been struggling with declining sales.
While most restaurants were earmarked for underperformance, Verostek also said some closures are due to expiring leases and aging buildings.
Stephen Dunn, the company's chief global development officer, had said, "Some of these restaurants can be very old. So when you think of a 70-year-old plus brand, you have a lot of restaurants that have been out there for a very long time."
Among the majority of the Denny's being closed nationwide, Dunn hinted the age of the average building was around 30 years.
To date, Denny's owns and operates 1,318 restaurants in America.
