Man Faces Charges After Impersonating Denny's Employee

He cooked his own cheeseburger and fries before police arrived

America’s diner is always open—but one Wisconsin man took this slogan a little too far when he impersonated a Denny’s general manager and cooked his own cheeseburger and fries at the northeast Madison restaurant on Tuesday.

James B. Summers, 52, faces charges of fraud hotel or restaurant keeper, according to the Madison police department.

Summers, who entered the diner carrying a briefcase and sporting a tie and long black trench coat, told workers that he was the new general manager, Channel3000.com reported. The diner’s current manager told Summers she had not heard anything about him from corporate and that he probably had the wrong restaurant.

As the manager was calling her supervisors, Summers started to cook himself dinner, police said. He was in the process of eating a cheeseburger and fries when the manager discovered that he was not a Denny’s employee and called 911.

Summers was walking away from the restaurant when authorities arrived. He told police that it was a misunderstanding and agreed to return to the restaurant to sort out the details. When officers determined that Summers was not, in fact, the new general manager, they took him into custody.

Summers, who police said was carrying a stun gun that he did not have a permit for, also faces charges of possession of an electric weapon, disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia.

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