Popular breakfast chain Denny's abruptly shuts beloved store and moves to close neighboring location amid fears more are on the chopping block

The abrupt closure of a popular Denny's store in Ohio has sparked fears more locations will soon be on the chopping block.

The Ashland branch, located on Route 250, lies about 60 miles southwest of Cleveland and was permanently shut down last week. 

The closure appears to be part of broader plans, with the breakfast chain having shut down a number of locations over the last year. 

It also appears a sister Denny's in the neighboring towns of Akron, Ontario and Mansfield are also set to close.

A location of beloved breakfast chain Denny's has closed in Ashland, Ohio, pictured, even taking local residents by surprise

Denny's operates around 1,600 locations across the country but at least 120 have closed over the last two years

Denny's operates around 1,600 locations across the country, according to its website. 

Locals shared their disappointment online with one server saying they were grieving its closure.

'It’s the very end of 13 years at Denny’s, so many great people along the way. I’m so sad!' wrote server Ashley Gregory. 

'I can’t believe it’s really real but I can’t express how thankful I am to have had a job that long, working with my schedule.'

'As a server as well as managing and cooking throughout my time, it’s really a sad time. This was not only my 2nd home but like family also. I am grieving like I lost someone!', Gregory shared.

'Sad day in Ashland, the Denny’s is closed. Permanently', wrote Don Bigelow.

60 Denny's locations closed in 2022 with an additional 60 shuttered in 2023. The trend has continued into 2024

Many locals love their local Denny's so much that some posted on Facebook how they were 'grieving' following another closure

'Yesterday I learned that Ashland Denny's is closed permanently. Ohh the fun stories that could be told from going there after the bars shut down for the night. I'm just hoping for a Waffle House to take its place,' added Bob Egyedi.

Ashland's appears to be part of a larger trend affecting Denny's locations across Ohio and Michigan. 

Denn-Ohio, a franchisee in the region, filed for bankruptcy last fall and subsequently shut down ten stores, including several in Ohio. 

Elsewhere, a Denny's in Pennsylvania recently closed, as did one of the two locations in Lubbock, Texas. 

The closure of the Denny's was announced with a sign on the front door

Last month, the last remaining Denny's in Bucks County in Pennsylvania officially closed its doors. 

The closure on June 19 was quietly announced with a sign posted on the front door of the restaurant on East Lincoln Highway in Langhorne.

Fans of the chain's breakfast sandwich Moons Over My Hammy will now need to travel to the Lehigh Valley, Delaware County, or New Jersey to satisfy their cravings. 

The Langhorne location is among 25 Denny's that have shuttered this year alone.

That is on top of 60 closing in 2023 and another 60 in 2022, according to the company's 2023 annual report.

Robert Verostek, Denny's executive vice president and chief financial officer, blamed inflation as a significant factor leading to the closures when he spoke to investors in February. 

The recently closed Denny's, the last in Bucks County, photographed on July 8, 2024. It shut on June 19

He pointed out that the breakeven point for a restaurant to remain open had jumped from $1 million to $1.2 million due to higher costs for food and wages.

'So, we are continuing to work through some additional closures as a result of those inflationary pressures,' Verostek said.

Denny’s is undergoing several changes in an attempt to revamp its brand, including rolling out a new menu, an updated loyalty program with monthly challenges, and even virtual brands. 

In February, a 54-year-old branch of Denny's in Oakland shut due to soaring  crime in the Bay Area.

Restaurants have increasingly been struggling this year. 

Inflation is partly to blame with prices steadily increasing over the last two years with higher costs passed on to customers. 

Perhaps inevitably these price hikes have led to a fall in visitor numbers. 

Bigger chains such as Applebee's, TGI Fridays and Boston Market have have all recently shuttered restaurants, as have smaller chains like BurgerFi. 

Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy in May and also shuttered almost 100 restaurants. It is considering shutting as many as 135 more.

Chains have been worst hit in California where the minimum wage for fast food restaurants jumped to $20-an-hour from April 1. 

In early June, Mexican chain Rubio's shut 48 locations in the state and also filed for bankruptcy. 

Also in June, BurgerFi - which touts itself as an upmarket McDonald's - sparked concerns of mass closures after revealing it is considering bankruptcy.

Bosses are looking at Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which would allow it to get out of leases for its worst performing restaurants and sell off the contents - as Red Lobster did last month.

National coffee and upmarket grocery chain Foxtrot said at the start of April it will shut all its stores with immediate effect - leaving staff and customers stunned.

Meanwhile, retailer Express - a mall staple - filed for bankruptcy in April and said it would shut 95 outlets. 

The closures form part of a larger downturn in US retail as almost 2,600 stores have already closed so far this year. 

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Big names including Macy's, Walmart, Walgreens, Foot Locker and 7-Eleven have all said they are closing shops.

Discount stores like Family Dollar and bankrupt 99 Cents Only have been worst hit, as have drugstores like CVS and Rite Aid.

If the closures were to continue at the same rate for the rest of the year they would total 7,800 in 2024 - almost 40 percent more than the total in 2023.

Bricks-and-mortar locations are struggling in the face of competition from online.