Famous Restaurant Closing 150 Locations, Idaho Already Impacted

Whether you worked late, were at an event that didn’t serve dinner or just couldn’t bring yourself to pay concert prices for something from a food truck, you’ve found yourself in a position where it’s late and you’re hungry.

You could go to WinCo and grab something to toss in the microwave or oven, but clearly it’s been a long day and you’re lacking the initiative. You’ve got enough energy to sit down at a table and have someone else do the hard work…if you can find a kitchen that’s open late. Many Boise restaurants are listed as being open late, but aren’t serving food past a certain point.

READ MORE: Shari's Abruptly Closes Nampa Location

Once upon a time Merritt’s Cafe was one of the Boise area’s most popular destinations for a late night meal, but they changed their “24-hour” business hours back in 2017. Even though they changed their hours, they were still serving food from until 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. for a long period of time. By 2022, they really cut back on their hours. Now they're open 6 a.m. - 3 p.m., seven days a week. 

You can still count on PieHole to fulfill your late night snack attack. The Downtown location is open until 3 a.m. most days of the week and 4 a.m. on Friday & Saturday. 

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A smattering of other restaurants may have a late night menu that they’re serving until 10 p.m. or midnight. We can’t name them off the top of our head, but if you frequent one of those restaurants tell us where, because one day we’d love to build a new “late night eats guide.” 

If you’re willing to settle for a chain restaurant, you can still count on at least two chains in the Boise area to be open 24 hours a day. All of IHOP’s Boise area locations and their Twin Falls location are open 24 hours. 

Then there's Denny’s which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week at six of their seven Idaho locations....for now.

Denny's Announces Plans for Mass Closures, Idaho Already Impacted

However, there are some serious questions surrounding the future of the iconic restaurant chain after the Associated Press revealed that the brand will close 150 of its lowest-performing locations. They haven’t publicly announced which locations will close for good, but did say that about half of those stores will close before the end of 2024. The rest will close in 2025. They also didn't clarify if that number included some of the locations that closed recently. 

They pointed to restaurant inflation as the biggest factor in seeing year-over-year declines five quarters in a row. In its meeting with investors, Denny’s also said that family dining restaurants like their chain are the ones that have struggled the most since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Denny’s has already made cuts in Idaho in 2024. It started the year with 11 Idaho locations, but has since closed locations in Boise, Nampa, Meridian and Chubbuck. The Nampa location has already been demolished.

Time will tell if more cuts are on the way. The remaining Denny's locations can be found at:

• 511 N Overland Ave, Burley
• 3512 Franklin Road, Caldwell
• 2300 N 4th Street, Coeur d’Alene
• 1838 W Pullman Rd, Moscow
• 1670 Schneidmiller Ave, Post Falls
• 585 N 2nd Street, Rexburg
• 291 Pole Line Road, Twin Falls