What's happening with the South Broadway Denny's location?
May 13—Dear Answer Man: Could you tell me why Denny's Restaurant closed? I noticed no cars were there and shortly after, the sign was removed from the building. Seems to me Denny's was always busy. — Joan on the Spot.
Dear Joan,
You had me worried that Rochester would become Denny's-less. That is not the case.
So, I hate to break it to you, but news of the demise of the south Denny's — at 1226 S. Broadway — has been around since last fall. The restaurant closed late in 2023 and has long been slated for a new chapter in its life.
What is next, you ask? Well, rumor has it the Denny's location over by the Corn Cob Water Tower will be cooking up the Colonel's 11 herbs and spices in the coming days. A notice for a neighborhood meeting about the project says, "Stewart Restaurant Group is proposing two commercial buildings, one fast-food restaurant with drive-through, and one small retail building, to be located at 1226 Broadway Avenue South in Rochester, Minnesota." The fast-food location obviously refers to a chicken that quickly crosses the road — almost literally, in this case. The location of this new KFC seems curious to me because I've always gotten my Extra Crispy from a KFC located less than a mile to the east on 12th Street Southeast.
Anyway, when it comes to this new development, it seems the old Denny's will be torn down to make space at the site for the two separate buildings. While the development notice does not specifically say, "Kentucky Fried Chicken" — the title does mention "KFC" — but rather says "fast-food restaurant," one of the buildings drawn in the plans has Col. Sanders' face on it, so there's that.
All that said, if you're hankerin' for a Berry Stuffed French Toast Slam — and why wouldn't you be; it looks delicious — Rochester is still home to the Denny's located at the north end of the Miracle Mile Shopping Center, at 286 17th Ave. NW.
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