Denny’s franchisee closes Central New York restaurants

The local franchisee of Denny’s (NASDAQ: DENN), a diner-style restaurant chain, is closing several restaurants in the Syracuse area, Watertown, and the Southern Tier permanently, eliminating more than 300 jobs.

Feast American Diners, LLC, the Denny’s franchisee, is citing the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting shutdown of in-person dining for its decision.

The firm filed WARN notices about the layoffs on the website of the New York State Department of Labor. WARN is short for worker adjustment and retraining notification.

The layoffs were implemented on March 17 and the restaurants closed on March 20 because of “unforeseeable business circumstances prompted by COVID-19,” per the WARN notice. The employees are not represented by a union, the notice added.

Denny’s is headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Due to the severe financial environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, our franchisee in this area has regrettably decided to close these locations. Denny’s has been working with its franchise owners to assist in helping them through this crisis, but the final decision to close is in the hands of each franchise business owner and their particular circumstances,” a Denny’s spokesperson said in a statement emailed to CNYBJ on Friday.

Restaurants closing

The following Denny’s restaurants in the region are closing permanently, as indicated in the WARN notice (along with number of layoffs per restaurant):

• 6591 Thompson Road in DeWitt (36 employees)
• 201 Lawrence Road E. in Salina (34 employees)
• 103 Elwood Davis Road in Salina (39 employees)
• 3414 Erie Blvd. in DeWitt (36 employees)
• 176 Grant Ave. in Auburn (30 employees)
• 5300 W. Genesee St. in Camillus (34 employees)
• 7873 Brewerton Road in Cicero (31 employees)
• 1142 Arsenal St. in Watertown (33 employees)
• 118 Victory Highway in Painted Post (26 employees)
• 950 Chemung St. in Horseheads (38 employees)