Council Temporarily Bans Late-Night Dining at 27th Street Denny’s

Denny’s, 3801 S. 27th St. Photo taken May 24, 2024 by Sophie Bolich.

Those in search of late-night pancakes, burgers and shakes will need to find an alternative to Denny’s — at least for the next two weeks.

The Milwaukee Common Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to suspend the extended hours license for the southside diner, 3801 S. 27th St.

The suspension, which went into effect May 21, was the result of a 27-item police report that detailed at least two fights, several robberies and other disturbances at the establishment.

Late-night service, which occurs between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m., is permitted to resume after June 5.

For now, the diner is open daily from 5:30 a.m. to midnight, according to the Denny’s website. Other Milwaukee locations for the chain, 4925 S. Howell Ave. and 8001 W. Brown Deer Rd., are unaffected.

Attorney Zak Wroblewski appeared at a May 7 hearing before the Milwaukee Licenses Committee on behalf of Kansas-based franchise owner Mukesh Dharod. Melissa Nelson-Bohan, who manages multiple Denny’s locations, was also in attendance.

Dharod is the owner of all three Denny’s locations in Milwaukee.

In response to the lengthy police report, which took just under seven minutes to read into the record, Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa asked Wroblewski if he’d like to “speak to that long list.”

“I do,” he responded. “Although several of these — I’d say just under half — aren’t directly related to the business or are welfare checks, obviously no establishment wants to see a police report this long.”

He told the committee that Dharod is “taking the situation seriously” and has already taken steps to address some of the concerns. Specifically, the licensee hired a new manager in July 2023.

The previous manager, Wroblewski said, was responsible for many of the calls made to police. “They’ve already seen positive results with the new management team and more stable management team.”

The restaurant has replaced its former security company, which Wroblewski said was “unreliable,” and instead hired Wisconsin Public Safety Agency to station an armed security guard onsite from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

While on duty, guards are accompanied by a security vehicle with flashing lights to make their presence known, Wroblewski said.

The restaurant is also in the process of updating its video surveillance system.

Of the 27 items noted on the police report, 12 took place within the year prior to the renewal hearing. That includes one instance of shots fired, three thefts, an armed robbery, a noise complaint and a handful of welfare checks, along with other minor disturbances that were resolved without incident.

Area Alderman Scott Spiker noted his surprise at the number of physical altercations, especially given the absence of alcohol. Denny’s does not have a liquor license.

“These are people fighting over french fries, it’s not an alcohol-infused environment,” he said. “You’ve added armed security, you got a new manager and there’s still a fight where people are waving around weapons and actually shooting in the air.”

The alderman asked how the aforementioned changes would lead to future improvements at the establishment.

Wroblewski responded that he’s confident the new security guards, who are licensed and bonded, will prevent further incidents. The new company is also much larger than the prior hired security, said Nelson-Bohan.

“This is a huge number of items on the police report,” Spiker said. “Some of them involve weaponry and are very disturbing — there’s fights, other stuff like that.”

The alderman moved to renew restaurant’s food dealer license, but asked for a 15-day suspension of its extended hours license. He recommended that Denny’s use the time to further train the new security guards.

He added that if the problems continue, he plans to “urge more drastic action” upon the next renewal.

There were no objections.

The matter went before the full council on Tuesday. Dharod filed written objections to the suspension but did not appear in person to testify.

Denny’s will continue to operate with shortened hours until early next month, when it will be allowed to resume its 24-hour schedule.