It’s several Walgreens stores in Boston, MA. It’s a famed In-N-Out burger location in Oakland. It’s Nordstrom (and T-Mobile and Starbucks, among many others) in San Francisco. It’s countless establishments in our major urban areas, and what do they all have in common? They’re jumping ship because operating in many blue cities is just plain too dangerous.
Thanks, progressive policies.
But there’s always one thing you can count on, right? There’s a Denny’s somewhere nearby, waiting for you in case you get a craving for a Grand Slam breakfast.
For the last 54 years, that’s been true at one beloved Denny’s in Oakland which billed itself as “always open” – except that it will never likely be open again since it closed its doors for good on Wednesday due to rampant crime.
Citing crime concerns, @DennysDiner on Hegenberger shut down for good today, the latest restaurant to close in @oakland. 5:30,6:30 p.m. @KTVU pic.twitter.com/oacftUflZa
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) January 31, 2024
I wonder how many more of these stories outlets like RedState will have to report before politicians – and more importantly, voters – get the message? Progressive policies aren’t working.
A local news outlet reported on the situation:
The restaurant on Hegenberger Road, a mainstay in the neighborhood for 54 years, closed for good at 1 p.m. Wednesday. It seems like only the chickens that congregate outside the diner will be staying.
Denny's officials would not go on camera.
But a sign on the front door says, in part, "The safety and well-being of Denny's team members and valued guests is our top priority."
Employees were told of the closure only on Tuesday. Some were in tears on their last day.
Like other businesses in the area, the restaurant's seen its share of car break-ins, robberies and violent crime.
I bet.
GRAND SLAM: "I feel so bad for Oakland, because it's like everybody's leaving." @DennysDiner on Hegenberger shuts down, citing crime concerns and joining @BlackBearDiner, @Starbucks & @SUBWAY out the door. @innoutburger leaving in March. https://t.co/yEJFy5yibW pic.twitter.com/qvddZLLLqD
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) February 1, 2024
It feels like we're living a lyric from Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust":
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, I'm gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust
A note was attached to the door of the now-shuttered location:
Denny's has been honored to serve the Oakland community over the last 54 years. Closing a restaurant location is never an easy decision or one taken lightly. 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.
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. Team Members who are able to relocate will be offered positions elsewhere where available.
We hope to see you at another Denny's location in the Bay Area.
They hope to see you at another Bay Area location, and they list two -- but neither one is in Oakland. Good luck getting your Grand Slamwich if you live in the former home of the Raiders and Golden State Warriors because you'll have to go elsewhere.
Aloy Ekane is a Denny's regular, and he's sad to see it go:
"I feel so bad for Oakland because it's like everybody's leaving," Ekane said. "Oh yeah, I eat here all the time, sometimes [at] midnight. I come here and eat, because [in the] last few years, it was quite good. Just a good place. I feel so bad that they're leaving, you know?"
It's just one restaurant, just one Denny's, life will go on, right?
Except that it's another sign of our nation's decline as blue-city mayors and blue-state governors inexorably run our country into the ground. Progressive policies supposedly crafted to help poor and minority communities are only making their lives immeasurably worse. It makes me angry, but it's also incredibly sad.
The mainstream media will tell you that this is all in your head and that it's all perfectly normal. But you trust your own eyes and your own ears. That's why outlets like RedState are so important in today's news environment -- we'll bring you the unvarnished truth and hot-take opinions as well.
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See also:
Multiple Violent Assaults in San Fran Sway 87-Year-Old Man to Move Back to Where It's Safer - China
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