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Denny's in Santa Clara Accused of Discrimination Against Group of Senior Korean Americans

Attorney for group of senior citizens says he believes employees treated them rudely because of age and possibly race

A group of Korean American senior citizens has accused a Denny’s restaurant in Santa Clara of discrimination, claiming they were refused service and kicked out of the restaurant on Easter Sunday.

On Thursday, one of the seniors, Andrew Koh, and an attorney with the Asian Law Alliance hand-delivered a letter to the restaurant in the 1700 block of El Camino Real. The letter demands that Denny’s management attend a mediation session with state officials.

Koh says his group of 10 seniors were waiting at the Denny's for more members of their church when they were kicked out after 10-15 minutes for drinking coffee and not ordering food. Koh believes employees treated them rudely because of their age and possibly their race.

Denny’s released a statement Thursday in response to the allegations:

"Denny’s is committed to providing a welcoming environment for all our guests. Denny’s has not refused a meeting with Mr. Koh nor is the Denny’s franchise in Santa Clara aware of a request by the Department of Fair Employment and Housing to meet with Mr. Koh before today. Denny’s previously reached out to Mr. Koh in April and would be happy to meet with him and the DFEH to discuss the matter."

Denny's was the subject of a 2014 discrimination lawsuit stemming from a Southern California incident in 2012 in which two black customers were asked to prepay for their meals.

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