Denny's at 2 a.m.

I'm sure everyone has heard about the Recent Stabbings in the Denny's parking lot of South Rome. I've been there late-night a handful of times, and I can't say I was surprised that it happened. Night life in Rome is somewhat lacking, and the East-Dominick St. bar scene is the pinnacle of social life for many. It's hard to visit on a weekend and not see a fight, or at least words and shoving exchanged. A friend of mine has even taken to calling one bar "Fight Club".

After closing time a lot of bar patrons spill over into Denny's. It's one of a couple late-night restaurants open. When I first went to Denny's after closing time, they had Rome PD standing in the lobby. There are some patrons from the hotels - trucker's and other travelers. But the majority of the people inside Denny's are drunk, 20-26 year olds. With the Rome PD keeping watch, there were still incidents, but no fights broke out.

Last November I was there with a friend after a late night of poker to find no police stationed inside. Just as we got our meal a fight broke out in the parking lot within full view from the large windows. Eventually a knife was pulled, and police were on the scene within minutes. There were no stabbings, but with everyone in their alcohol-induced state, there very well could have been.

This was, of course, a routine 2:00 a.m. at Denny's for me. Nothing new here. My friend, however, was looking for a back exit in case the fight spilled into the lobby. I felt safe within the restaurant, but with no security within eyesight, it made me slightly uneasy.

Mayor Brown suggested that the owners of Denny's should adjust their hours and just not be open after bar closing time. This isn't entirely fair to Denny's - a 24 hour breakfast. Having off-duty police in the lobby is a good start. I frequently see patrol cars across Erie Blvd. in the empty parking lot: how hard would it be to move one of those over to the Denny's/Quality Inn parking lot? Or across the street at Walgreen's? How about more late-night offerings so that we're not cramming all of these drunk groups of people who hate each other into the same establishment? Or even better: more night life that doesn't involve getting drunk to the point of violence?