24 hour restaurant staffed by 1 only. 2nd Update in OP

I'm not sure, but I think Denny's locations may be owned by franchisees?  If it's not out of the way, you might go back and get the business card of the owner (I think they're usually sitting at the register) and give that person a call or an email...  Even if it isn't the owner, it's going to be one of the upper managers who either should have been responding to the waitress's calls, or they know who SHOULD HAVE been responding.

I work part-time for a jewelry store. Several years ago - when I was a relatively new employee there - I got a call on my cell phone in the middle of the night.

The jewelry store had been broken into and the police were called by the alarm company. They could not reach the owners at the numbers they had and even sent a squad car to their address only to find no one lived there. The police went through paperwork there and found my number as an employee and called me at 3 am. The officer asked me to come in and take responsibility as I was the only one they could reach (the police could not leave as the store was no longer secure due to the break-in).

I gave them the cell number I had for the owners and told them the neighborhood I knew them to live in, but they confirmed they had tried both with no success.

I refused to come in as there was no way I was taking responsibility for an unsecured jewelry store in the middle store in the middle of the night as a mere part-time employee.

Later that morning when we all did get to work, I discovered the owners had never updated their address with the alarm company or police after moving! In fact, although aggravated by the break-in, they seemed supremely unworried by the stunning lack of proper follow-through with what I considered to be an emergency.

I feel for that poor employee left alone at night. She was really between a rock and hard place. I hope her management responds better than mine did and initiates a proper plan for what should happen if that ever occurs again.

My local Denny's stopped serving pies because they weren't selling enough.  I'm still in mourning over their coconut cream one.

At this point I'd be emailing corporate until they responded.
If it were my restaurant, the manager or managers would be fired because providing staff continuity IS their job. Frankly a huge part of their job. And if they can't do their job then why pay them.

Last night, if it were in my town i would have called police non emergency number. They would have increased patrols, done what they could. They are pretty good here about things like that. However if it were actually in a high crime area then frankly the police wouldn't really have the time to deal with it.

If it were my child she would be giving notice.

The police non-emergency number is not usually staffed 24 hours/day.

My dad was a cop and he would have not left her alone, being the father of daughters.

Can you imagine if she told some sick Pervy drunk guy she was there alone and closed? (Because in my town Dennys was always full of yuck drunks in the middle of the night)? She could easily be the vicTim of assault or rape in those circumstances. I agree that the police should be called. She had no way to secure the building or get ahold of someone who could and she was by virtue of being a woman alone in the middle of the night at high risk of being harmed

That sucks. I hope that she was ok and that there is a satisfactory resolution. And to the PP who said she doesn't get paid enough, for sure! Two nights she doesn't get tips either. So she is possibly working for 2-3 bucks an hour to secure an unlocked business alone all night with no way to protect herself. Not worth it.

1. That woman needs to go out and get a new job. Asap.

2. I would be contacting corporate to ask about staffing policies. I find it impossible to believe a large company like Denny's would not have minimum staffing standards of two or more at all times. Because of the possibility not only of robbery, but employee theft. It is also a huge liability for a retail/restaurant to have only one person duty. Aside from the potential for theft and violence, there is also the issue of accidental workplace injury. If she fell and hit her head and there was no one there to cAll for aid, for example, the company's liability is much greater. (Which I know because it happened to me and my boss who refused to have a second person on duty got in trouble, as well as the organization for not ensuring proper staffing numbers were achieved.)

I think she should have invited 30 of her friends and family to keep her company with a $1 all you can eat special...best to take some money for it.

Exactly.  I have called 911 twice for situations that could turn into emergencies.   I know the non-emergency number for my own local area, but I don't know it for everyplace I happen to go.


Once I called because some truck ahead of me on a 4 lane highways had managed to lose 2 mattresses and some assorted lumber all over the road.  You had people going 60, 70 miles an hour and then out of no where all this stuff was everywhere and people were slamming on brakes and trying to change lanes at the very last second.   It was definitely a situation where someone could get hurt or killed, even if no one was hurt yet.  A police car sitting out ahead of the mess with flashing lights would be all that was necessary to have drivers slow down and be more cautious until it was cleaned up.


I called another time because I was in a car that broke down smack in the middle of an expressway.  We could not leave the vehicle safely, and we were sitting ducks until someone arrived.  We called AAA for a tow truck, but called 911 to request a police cruiser.  And that's exactly what they did.  They sent an officer to block our lane a bit down from us with flashing lights until we were safely cleared from the area.

I wonder if she would have had this number, though.   Unless they had a sign outdoors with the number on it, I can't see that being info they would have given a waitress as standard info for her to know, kwim?   I worked in a few different public places in my life, and I didn't even know the alarm company at all for all but one of them, never mind had a number available or knew where to find the number.  (I also didn't know where the alarms were for all but one place.)

The one place was a very small locally owned business that was always staffed by only one person, so when I was that person I did have to set the alarm, so in that case I knew all about the alarm and the company.  But the larger places where there were layers of management above me?  I had no clue.

I am really interested in this story and hope we get a follow-up. i want to know who fell asleep at the post and what the outcome is.