Denny's Restaurant, 102 S. Parker Street, Tampa

Denny’s Restaurant, 102 S Parker St. Tampa Fl

Denny’s Restaurant, 102 S Parker St., circa early 1970s. Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida Digital Collection.

Denny’s Restaurant at 102 S Parker Street opened in January 1970 and quickly became a breakfast and late-night go-to for South Tampa partiers and University of Tampa students. The $350,000 building was open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, seated 120 patrons and another 50 people in the Amigo Cocktail Lounge. This restaurant, Tampa’s first Denny’s, was one of over 200 corporate stores nationwide.

By the late 1970s, the place struggled and was reputedly a pickup place for prostitutes. In 10 years, it went through nearly two dozen managers who had difficulty keeping the “bad element” out. In 1977, the University of Tampa purchased the property along with the adjoining foreclosed Universal Motor Inn for $875,000, with plans to turn the motel into student dorms. In 1980, the restaurant property was leased to Charles Kramer and Greg Goeble. The pair bought the restaurant business for over $200,000 and changed the name to The River House. The lounge’s name was changed to Marker 102, and became a members-only club, where paid memberships got patrons discounts on food. In an effort to change their customer base and public perception, Kramer and Goeble did a $100,000 remodel, removed the pay phones, and considered locking the bathroom doors so only paying customers could use them. It lasted less than 2 years. The university sold the property to investors in 1987, and the buildings were demolished. The property has been vacant for decades and has been an unpaved parking lot.

According to the website FloridaYimby (Yes, in my backyard), in March 2023, developers Related Group announced plans to begin a project called the Riverwalk District, a six-acre development that will encompass 1.7 million gross square feet spread among several towers. Related purchased four separate parcels for a total of $55.5 million. Two towers will be built along the riverfront, the tallest of which will be 48 floors. The four-tower proposal includes 1,079 residential units with 32,000 SF retail space and 10 boat slips. Current plans are to break ground in late 2023.

This Gandy photo above was taken in the early 1970s. The Manger Motor Inn in the background (now the Hotel Tampa Riverwalk) was built in 1968 and became the Tampa Hilton in 1974.

Denny's and Universal Host at Parker Street and Kennedy Blvd. Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida Digital Collection.

Riverwalk District rendering at 102 S. Parker Street from Related Group