I just realized I haven’t been to Denny’s in weeks.

There was a time when we went to Denny’s on Culver (which we affectionately referred to simply as “D.O.C.”) almost every night after rehearsal. We liked D.O.C. because it had the best service of any Denny’s we’d ever been to. They could do anything a customer wanted (except, of course, serving mashed potatoes after ten o’clock).

However, over the past few months the wait staff has changed. None of our favorite waiters or waitresses are there anymore; they’ve been replaced by typical Denny’s waiters and waitresses who don’t care about the customers and don’t deserve more than a fifteen percent tip.

I’m not saying they should be really nice to us, nor am I saying they have to be totally attentive. But they do have to genuinely want our business. Dee at the Westminster Cafe was a horrible waitress both in the quality of her service and the casual attitude she expressed to the customers, but we knew she appreciated our business. She was sincere. The new waiters and waitresses at D.O.C., however, treat us like an inconvenience.

I guess it’s time to find a new Denny’s.