Dining late evening/early morning at 24 hour restaurants?

[y_p_w]

Just wondering what people's experiences are? Of course most of the big American diner chains (Denny's, IHOP, Waffle House) tend to be mostly 24 hours, including open most holidays. I don't know of too many fast food places that are open that late other than the drive-thru. But I've been there really late.

I used to go to open gyms in the evening to play some games. I wouldn't eat beforehand because I might cramp up. But afterwards I might head to a nearby Denny's. It was kind of interesting because I remember maybe 9 PM to about 5 AM there was only a "late night menu". This was back when they had the $1.99 Grand Slam Breakfast, but only during certain times. They had it on the late night menu, but it was considerably more expensive. More recently I was on a redeye and got in around 4 AM where I needed some time to kill. The Denny's I ended up (in a touristy area) at had a full menu that early and no issue with me just hanging out there for three hours eating my breakfast and getting tons of coffee refills. I might have been the only customer when I got there, but it started to fill up.

When I was visiting relatives, we went out somewhere and apparently their big thing was going to IHOP after midnight. That wasn't too bad. They had the full menu and were actually quite busy after midnight.

We have a 24 hour burger and breakfast chain around here. And I've been at 3 AM coming home and seeing a really long line. At least that one they'd close off half the dining room.

 

[doitmyself]

In college towns it's a common event after bar hopping. I haven't done it years. It's kind of a fun, surreal experience, especially when you are the only customer. Good truck stops can be interesting too. I love greasy spoon diners! They're getting fewer and fewer.

 

[Speedbird001]

Only 24 hour food left around here is Waffle House or Sheetz/WaWa.

Grocery Stores, WallMart, Dennys etc. All close by 10 or 11 at the latest. Sadly all the diners closed ages ago

 

[Number_35]

Back in late '82/early '83 I was working 12-hour nights testing hard drives for mainframe computers.

There were about six of us, working 1800 to 0600. About once a week we'd go to Country Kitchen after work for burgers, patty melts, and fries at around 0630, while the most were waking up to cereal and eggs.

Later on in the '80s I played late-night hockey. We got 90 minutes of cheap ice from 0120 till 0250 Friday nights (actually Saturday mornings, I guess).

After hockey we'd go to an all-night Salisbury House for Nips (burgers) and fries.

Good memories - oh, to be young again, and have a cast-iron stomach.

 

[Lyman]

I owned a Bar for 10 years. We had a Denny's in the same parking lot. Every night at 2 AM, they were ready for a mini rush of people.

 

[y_p_w]

I owned a Bar for 10 years. We had a Denny's in the same parking lot. Every night at 2 AM, they were ready for a mini rush of people.

Oh yeah. I remember being in a 24 hour Safeway once (don't ask) but I do remember the announcement that alcohol sales were going to end at 2 AM. As far as I know, a bar isn't required to close at 2 AM (supposed to be by 3 AM) though, but no more orders or serving.

 

[y_p_w]

I've been in Nevada casinos late night, but I think that's a completely different category. Some of the late night food specials could be really good.

 

[Chris142]

I didn't realize Denny's was still 24 hrs. We used to go cruising and racing then meet up at Denny's about midnight.

 

[y_p_w]

I didn't realize Denny's was still 24 hrs. We used to go cruising and racing then meet up at Denny's about midnight.

Depends on where. I heard around the time of COVID there were staffing issues where many decided to reduce their hours.

I'm looking at the ones closest to me. I tried finding as many locations as I could find in the Bay Area, and they're all open 24 hours. The closest I could find that wasn't 24 hours was in Santa Cruz. Depending on the day - 5 AM to 2 AM or 5 AM to midnight.

https://locations.dennys.com/CA/SANTA-CRUZ/248540

I was thinking of where I've seen a Denny's, this one I drove by a couple of years ago has the most limited hours. 7 AM to 10 or 11 PM.

https://locations.dennys.com/CA/CRESCENT-CITY/246023

Just kind of bored so I'm looking up the locations in California:

https://locations.dennys.com/CA

Starting with the As, Anaheim has their weird one (out of five locations where the others are 24 hours) that's 24 hours 4 days of the week. Apple Valley has one that's 24 hours and another that's 6 AM to 10 PM. But going into the Bs, there's a fair number of locations that aren't 24 hours.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Oh man ... have some interesting memories of the Denny's in the city near where I grew up.

Went through a phase after college where I did a lot of bar hopping. The group I ran with liked to party it up. Friday and Saturday nights we'd be out until closing time then go to the 24 hour Denny's and get some food.

It was always sectioned out between the different groups of people everyone just kinda sat along with their own.

The occasional fight broke out. One time I remember a guy getting into a bit of a shouting match with one of the waiters and he took his whole crew to the McDonald's across the street.

Good times from another era.

 

[AutoMechanic]

My experience has been mixed especially late at night like between 11pm and 3am. A lot varies on location. Also a lot of bad things happen at night at a few particular Waffle House locations as they are in not so safe areas. One of the Dennys isn’t either but we’d never eat there at night hardly at that one. We haven’t ate in one late at night in awhile probably 3 or 4 years. For awhile they were closing at 11 but then they went back to 24 hours. The iHOP in a bad spot closes at 12 though because there was 3 or 4 murders there at one point and it’s in a very bad area. The other one is open 24/7 and last time we were there we seen a cockroach so the entire meal was free.

When I was a kid my family was night owls (still are mostly) and we would go to either Waffle House, Dennys or IHOP or occasionally McDonald’s or Taco Bell as they are open 24 hours (some of them) and then Walmart was right next to the Dennys we went too so we’d hang there for a bit then ride over to the 24 hours Advance Auto Parts store. Man those were the days.

 

[y_p_w]

I do remember the Denny's in Emeryville, California. It's been there for ages (since at least the 1970s) and I'd occasionally go there on the way to work. But it was a notorious late night hangout (especially among UC Berkeley students with cars), and there were hints that a lot of drug dealers (notorious for carrying pagers in the 80s and 90s) would hang out there early morning waiting for deals to go down. The location was right by the freeway, so it was almost ideal for that kind of "independent business owner".

 

[PontiacHO]

Wouldn’t walk into a Waffle House after 10 PM around here without my side piece on. I wouldn’t want to eat the food that’s prepared by the ex-con cook anyway. Clean? NO!

 

[duck__dodgers]

no problems doing it every weekend in my 20s. now? lol. (especially considering that I bet kitchen staff at chains are probably earning noticeably less after inflation now than in my 20s)

the diner experience probably depends on: how many peeps are stumbling out of bars; the local transient population (if any); quality of the restaurant/kitchen staff. (Chain v. local diner that has been open overnight for 40 years.)

Given the death by 1000 cuts that many/most? local restaurants are facing, pack your patience....good chance that the staff where ever you go are overworked and underpaid (especially back of the house).

 

[BobsArmory]

I have had occasion to visit places like that in the past. I do my best to avoid them during those times these days. The mix of drunks druggies and strippers flush with cash are a recipe for disaster. So many bad things happen during that time of night early morning.