San Francisco loses another business due to crime

A Denny's in San Francisco closed its doors earlier this month after nearly 25 years in operation. Reasons including vandalism reportedly led to the restaurant's closure.

Chris Haque, the franchisee according to SFGate, said cases of guests eating and not paying have hurt his business.

“The cost of doing business is enormous,” Haque told the publication. “There is vandalism, people come, eat and leave, and there is no one to stop them.”

Haque also said the decline in conventions in the city contributed to a decline in his establishment's customer base. SFGate reported that Haque had operated another Denny's in the city that went out of business five years ago and owned another in Tacoma, Washington.

Denny's corporate headquarters confirmed to Newsweek that the location ceased operations on August 1, but said it would not comment on the specifics of the store closures.

“There is another location at 10 Airport Boulevard. Closing a restaurant location is never an easy decision. Denny's would like to extend its heartfelt thanks to team members and the local community for their love of the Denny's brand; it has been a pleasure serving you,” the company said in a statement, adding that there are 40 Denny's locations in the San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose area.

News of the restaurant's closure follows recent reports of businesses in San Francisco, Oakland and the Bay Area going out of business, citing issues such as theft as the reason for closing.

In September, retail giant Target announced that it would close some of its stores due to safety concerns.

“We cannot continue to operate these stores because theft and organized retail crime threaten the safety of our team and guests and contribute to unsustainable business development,” the company said after announcing the closure of nine stores in four states, including three in San Francisco and Oakland. “We know our stores play an important role in their communities, but we can only succeed if the working and shopping environment is safe for everyone.”

The company said at the time that 32 stores with over 6,400 employees would remain open in the San Francisco and Oakland markets.

Earlier this year, another Denny's location in the Oakland area was closed for safety reasons after operating for more than half a century, according to SFGate.