Policy
In-N-Out Burger will close its Oakland, California location due to car break-ins, property damage, theft and burglaries that have affected both customers and employees.
This will be the first location the chain has closed in its 75-year history, and it's no surprise that it's happening in California.
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In-N-Out
By now, most Americans are aware of California's crime problems – especially in the big blue cities.
“The fast-food burger restaurant located on a busy corridor near Oakland International Airport will close on March 24 because although the company has taken 'repeated steps to create safer conditions, our customers and associates are regularly victimized,'” Denny Warnick, the Associated Press reported. In-N-Out's chief operating officer said in a statement on Wednesday.
“We feel that the frequency and severity of the crimes our clients and partners face leaves us with no alternative,” Warnick said.
Consider how much extra security a particular In-N-Out location must have given its proximity to an international airport, yet crime remains rampant.
The story continued:
Oakland has seen a spike in property crimes and burglaries throughout the city across the bay from San Francisco, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The In-N-Out, scheduled to close, is located in a busy business hall attracting airport-bound travelers and baseball fans attending A's games at the Coliseum. Since 2019, police have recorded 1,335 incidents near the restaurant on Oakport Street – more than anywhere else in Oakland, the newspaper reported.
That number includes nine burglaries, two commercial burglaries, four domestic violence incidents and 1,174 car burglaries, according to Oakland police data shared with the Chronicle. The Oakland Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for data and comment from The Associated Press.
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More crime, less burgers
Shawn Crawford, who works in a building near the restaurant, told the newspaper that last year he saw two people get out of a car and move from one car to another in the In-N-Out aisle, the Associated Press reported, robbing people at gunpoint.
How can criminals feel so free that they can casually walk around robbing people at gunpoint?
Auckland Mayor Sheng Thao said more police officers would be deployed to the area, known as the Heigenberger Corridor, adding: “As mayor, I have prioritized this vital gateway to Auckland.”
This is the first In-N-Out closure in the company's history. Crime rates rose in Auckland last year: vehicle thefts increased by 44%, and burglaries rose by 23% during 2022.
It's hard to imagine any business staying open under these conditions.
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