A new Denny’s restaurant moving in to East New York is stirring up more than pancake batter.
Although the breakfast diner is already set to replace Galaxy Diner at 804 Pennsylvania Avenue, near Linden Boulevard amid a row of fast food joints, an advocate group for minorities in the neighborhood is leary of the national chain’s checkered past with black patrons.
Kevin McCall, executive director of the Brooklyn East New York Crisis T.E.A.M., wants the new Denny’s to give workers a living wage once they’re hired, according to the New York Daily News.
“We’re not saying ‘no’ to them, because it’s already a done deal,” said McCall to the Daily News. “But we’re not going to let them sneak into our community [either].”
In 1994, a group of black customers filed a class-action suit against Denny’s for refusing to serve them, making them wait longer for their food and charging more than white customers had to pay. The lawsuit cost Denny’s $54 million. More recently, the company’s expansion into New York was met by a $10 million lawsuit in June by the condominium board for 150 Nassau Street, which sought to block a Denny’s from opening in the historic building. [NYDN] — Angela Hunt