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The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
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Denny's Eyeing Two New Locations in Queens

QUEENS — Denny's is considering opening two new locations in Queens, according to people familiar with the plans. 

The nationwide restaurant chain, which serves diner food, including pancakes, steaks and burgers, is searching for a suitable space in downtown Jamaica, said Katie Wauchope of the Jamaica Center Business Improvement District.

"They are aggressively looking," she said. "It's just a matter of finding the right location."

A spokesman for Denny’s said he wasn't able to confirm the chain's interest in Jamaica at this point. But he confirmed that Denny’s wants to open a restaurant in Jackson Heights, though he was unsure about the exact location or when it might open.

Denny’s, which has more than 1,600 restaurants across the country, is planning to open its first outpost in New York in downtown Manhattan. The diner, set to open in a luxury condo building at 150 Nassau Street, a landmarked building across the street from City Hall, stirred some protests, which forced Denny's to withdraw its liquor license application.

Yvonne Reddick, district manager for Queens' Community Board 12, which covers Jamaica, said downtown Jamaica has a lot of fast food restaurants, but the area suffers from a lack of sit-down eateries.

“You have Applebee’s [on Jamaica Avenue] and now Cityrib is coming,” she said, referring to a new barbecue restaurant slated to open next week on Parsons Boulevard.

“The more, the merrier,” Reddick said.

Wauchope also noted that A Plate of Soul, a soul food restaurant that already has a Jamaica location on Merrick Boulevard, is considering opening its second diner, this one in downtown Jamaica.