OPEN SOURCE: Why did the Ashland Denny’s close?

ASHLAND — Last week, I logged into Facebook and many of the Ashland folks I knew were in a frenzy.

One of a handful of breakfast restaurants open on Sundays in Ashland — the Denny’s on U.S. State Route 250 — was closing. 

Then, the Open Source questions started rolling in, Ashland Source readers directly reaching out to us for an answer. 

So, I started digging. I wanted to know two things: 

• To confirm the restaurant was, indeed, closed for good. Who knows — maybe it was temporary. It was a question that needed an answer.
• To figure out a reason why the Denny’s had closed. 

My first step in the reporting process was to reach out to Denny’s via the media contact form on the company’s website. I did that Monday, asking them both the questions I had. The site said the media could expect to hear back after around 24 hours. 

I also did a quick Google search Monday, which yielded the result that Denny’s had closed several of its locations in 2023. The business planned to close doors of several other locations this year due to inflationary pressures.

The Ontario location will also close, with a Raising Cane’s outlet to take its place.

Tuesday, I put in a call to Ashland Mayor Matt Miller to see if he’d heard anything about the closure. He said he had no more information than I’d seen floating around on social media. 

I also tried asking our readers to help connect me to some former employees there via social media. It didn’t end up with any interviews coming through. Still, your efforts to connect me with folks who’d been employed at Denny’s were greatly appreciated, as were many folks who did reach out.

Wednesday, I heard back from Denny’s. The company’s media team offered the following statement:

“Thank you for your inquiry regarding the Denny’s in Ashland, OH, which closed July 20, 2024. Deciding to close a restaurant is never an easy decision. We’d like to thank our team members and local community for their love of the Denny’s brand. Denny’s has 28 other locations in Ohio, and we anticipate a new opening in Marietta, Ohio this year.”

So, I’m sad to confirm: yes, the Denny’s is closed permanently. The media team did not respond to a follow-up email, again asking why the Ashland location had closed. 

Then, a lightbulb moment struck: Maybe I could get in touch with the owners! After all, the Ashland County Auditor’s Office would be able to tell me who they were. If they were local, then perhaps I could figure out what happened that way. 

A call to the auditor’s office resulted in the owners’ names: Raymond I. Levine and Barbara R. trustees. Their address? A home in San Jose, California.

No other contact information available, at least that I could find. A last-ditch effort had reached another dead end. 

At this point, all I can do is confirm the social media rumors many of us likely saw: Ashland’s Denny’s is no longer open. The reason, at least as far as this reporter is concerned, remains a mystery. 

But, a larger point stands amid all this chaos about the process I followed to try to find an answer: We care about the questions you send us.

So, here’s hoping you take note that the Open Source portal on our site is always available for the burning questions you might have. Even if we can’t always find the answers, we’ll always try to chase them down. What matters to you, matters to us. 

And hey, if you’ve got answers about this Denny’s situation, feel free to let me know. I’m all ears.