for FReeper RegisteredPosted on 12/10/2002 7:49:27 PM PST by Registered
No more Grand Slams for FReeper Registered
| After 22 years, restaurant closes its doors Denny's Restaurant, a virtual institution among late-night diners, abruptly closed its doors for good Monday afternoon, citing lagging business. The Norton shores restaurant, which opened in 1980, closed at 3 pm Monday. The restaurant was hurt financially by safety and security concerns that forced the corporation to stop making it a 24-hour eatery-a "trademark" of Denny's restaurants, a corporate spokeswoman said. Customers (Like Me) and workers were not given advance warning the restaurant would be closing, said Melanie Mathews of Muskegon, a (darn good) server at the restaurant. Employees, some of whom worked at the restaurant for more than 20 years, were told the restaurant was closing during a meeting Monday afternoon, she said. "It was a big blow" (tell me about it), Mathews said, "There's a lot of people out of a job and a lot of families and children that will be affected by this...there were women in there sitting and crying"(not me, I'm a guy) The 48 employees were offered a two-week severance package and the opportunity to transfer to other Denny's restaurants, the closes being in Holland and on Plainfield Avenue in Grand Rapids, said Debbie Atkins, spokeswoman for Denny's, which is based in Spartanburg, S.C. The Norton Shores restaurant originally was open 24 hours. But several years ago, corporate officials (that don't understand Michigan "culture") decided to start closing at 3 am every day but Sunday, when it closed at 1:45am, Atkins said. "Unfortunately that hurt the business-the fact that we couldn't be open 24 hours," Atkins said,"Security is a top priority for us-ensuring the safety and security of our customers and employees. And we didn't believe we could do that at that location in the early morning hours" The restaruant was the site of a a couple of melees over the years. In 1994, police said a "near riot" and "free for all" brawl in the restaurant at 3:11am involved more than 50 people-practically all the patrons at the time (the Michigan "culture" thing). And in the 1999, a fight that involved 15 to 20 people caused $4,000 in damage at 3:32am . During that fray, patrons left without paying while others went into the cooking area and grabbed food (to eat and watch the action of course). Atkins said, Denny's now will be looking to sub-lease the property on which the corporation holds a long-term lease. Mathews said she was disappointed that the corporation chose to close the restaurant so close to Christmas. "It seems like they could have held on at least until after the holidays", she said, (and now for the Willie Green wind-up statement...) "To Denny's, you're no more than a bottom line number, and that's how we felt yesterday." Atkins said corporation officials "regret" the decision to close...there's never a good time for this," (duh) Atkins said. For any additional questions, call Denny's Customer Service Team at 1-800-733-6697.
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I used to eat at TB until I move to Texas and found out what real Mexican food was like, well OK Tex-Mex which isn't quite the same thing. We can get both, at everyting from a little hole in the wall to a nice sit down restarant that charges big $$, in San Antonio. I'm kind of partial to the stuff from central Mexico myslef. TB is more Cal-Mex style anyway, but I suspect a pretty plastic example of even that.
Sounds pretty much like your typical Waffle House. Don't know why you found it unusal enough to be funny. ;-)
A few years back when I was taking my daughter to the next county for a special school, which was also on my way to work, I'd stop at either the Waffle House or a local place that was even better and with more of the same general atmosphere (it was bigger too). That way I didn't have to get up early enough to eat, and could wait out the worst of the traffic while eating my breakfast.
When I get very drunk, I tell the story about how my father (8 years old at the time) blew my aunt off the pot in the bathroom in her home. He failed to clear the action on a shotgun he was playing with, and it discharged through the bathroom door. The birdshot missed her by no more than a foot.
My astute observation skills quickly focused on the visual part.
The Rio is indeed a great place to hone the visual observation skills. So is CP's, Sunset Station - and a couple of other places.
By no means should you attempt this at home - you will be disappointed.
Watching the weather back east lately, I have to repeat an often repeated favorite saying of mine - "Oh crap, just another shitty day in paradise."
LVM
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