Being someone who loves breakfast foods and pretty, dark-haired women above all else, I absolutely adore Denny’s and most of what it stands for. They’re the kind of company that believes if you want a big stack of hotcakes at 3 a.m., then you’re entitled to do so, and they will gladly provide you with the sustenance. A true representation of the American dream!
However, I was struck with disappointment this past week when I discovered my favorite place to inhumanly stuff my gullet with eggs and bacon was being grand slammed with a racial bias suit.
After being called out on the popular blogging site Tumblr, the often humorous blog run by Denny’s on the site went quiet while many of the socially just hungry users spread the news like wildfire.
Denny’s has agreed to pay more than $54 million to settle lawsuits filed by thousands of black patrons who were either delayed or denied service at any one of the chain’s 1,500 locations. That’s easily enough money to get you enough Moons Over My Hammys to literally reach the moon.
In some instances, black customers were even asked to pay in advance or prove that they had some way to buy their food before being seated.
Now, I can understand a few misguided, racist Denny’s employees giving the cold shoulder to black customers, but seeing that 4,300 claims were filed can’t be a coincidence.
The only time I’ve felt disappointment at a Denny’s was disappointment in myself when I finished a whole country fried steak skillet and an apple pie cobbler after flopping at an open mic night in Cape Coral. But to learn that Denny’s as a company is racist makes that incident somewhat less regrettable.
Title II under The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the basis for these racial bias suits. The law bans these kind of segregating acts, but many black patrons felt like their rights were still being violated.
The company denies having any policies supporting discrimination, but agrees to pay off any allegations that customers filed. I think they’re being a good sport.
A good side to this for Denny’s is the fact that it has taken a stand against racism in the past year, showing the company’s interest in desegregating its restaurants. A company that denies such a prominent claim such as this would probably never be trusted again, but to see that Denny’s wants to change its ways is a sign that they care about their image and their customers.