MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. (AP) - Five black customers have filed a discrimination lawsuit against a Denny's restaurant, claiming they were seated behind a partition and ignored by waitresses.

The restaurant chain denied any wrongdoing yesterday.

The five filed the lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court in Orlando, television station WESH reported.

Their attorney, Mark Tietig, told the station they are seeking thousands of dollars in damages.

The black customers said they were ignored while several other customers were served. When the black customers were finally served, their waitress got their order wrong.

Denny's president John Romandetti, however, said the manager replaced the food, discounted their bill and apologized.

''Their claim of racial discrimination is misguided and unfounded, and we will vigorously defend ourselves,'' Romandetti told the television station.

Last week, Romandetti apologized to a group of black sixth-grade students and their chaperones from Maryland who complained they were denied service

The complaint is the latest in a series against the Spartanburg, S.C.-based chain, which settled a lawsuit filed by black Secret Service agents who complained they were denied service at an Annapolis, Md., restaurant.