20 March 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – A West Topeka restaurant with 30 years of history serving residents of the Capital City has closed its doors for the last time in March.
KSNT 27 News spoke with Denny’s Regional Manager Bob Micek about the decision to close up shop at the Denny’s at 1500 Southwest Wanamaker Rd. Micek said the restaurant officially closed at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 19 as part of something that has been in the works for some time.
“The lease was up on the property,” Micek said. “It wasn’t a sudden decision. The landlord for whatever reason decided not to renew the lease.”
Employees of the Wanamaker Denny’s were offered chances to move to the only other Denny’s location in the Capital City at 3210 Southwest Topeka Blvd. or locations in Wichita and Kansas City, according to Micek.
“We’re going to take as many as we can to the other location,” Micek said, referring to the second Denny’s location in Topeka.
Micek said the Denny’s on Wanamaker Rd. has been open since 1993 after transferring from a corporate location to a franchise. Customers are encouraged to visit the Topeka Blvd. location in the future, especially if they are still wanting to see some familiar faces from the Wanamaker Rd. location. Micek said he did not know what plans await the building in the coming days.
Denny’s has been around since 1953 when Danny’s Donuts opened in Lakewood, California, according to the company’s website. Danny’s Donuts was renamed Danny’s Coffee Shops in 1956, then to Denny’s Coffee Shops in 1959 before finally landing on Denny’s in 1961. Denny’s is known for its expansive breakfast menu, shakes, burgers and more.