Getty A different In-N-Out Burger restaurant in California.
In-N-Out Burger has announced plans to close its only location in Oakland, California — even though the restaurant is profitable — because the environment is “unsafe.”
The company made the announcement on its X page on January 21.
According to its statement, the company has “made the decision to close our In-N-Out Burger location in Oakland, California, due to ongoing issues with crime.”
Here’s what you need to know:
In-N-Out Burger Wrote That Its Customers & Associates Are ‘Regularly Victimized’ at the Oakland Location
🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨
In-N-Out has officially decided to close their first location ever in Oakland near the airport. This decision has been made due to the high crime activity and car break-ins.
In its statement, the company made it clear that the decision was not because of profitability, saying the store did well.
“Despite taking repeated steps to create safer conditions, our Customers and Associates are regularly victimized by car break-ins, property damage, theft, and armed robberies. Our last day of business in Oakland will be Sunday, March 24, 2024,” the company wrote.
The company continued, “We are grateful for the local community, which has supported us for over 18 years, and we recognize that this closure negatively impacts our Associates and their families,” In-N-Out Burger continued.
“Additionally, this location remains a busy and profitable one for the company, but our top priority must be the safety and well-being of our Customers and Associates – we cannot ask them to visit or work in an unsafe environment,” the company noted.
According to the company, all affected associates “will have the opportunity to transfer to a nearby In-N-Out location or, alternatively, receive a severance package.”
In-N-Out Burger “has a history of supporting the Oakland community through charitable giving that predates the opening of our location there,” the company concluded. “Although we will no longer do business there, we will continue to support local charitable organizations in Oakland through our In-N-Out Burger Foundation and Slave 2 Nothing Foundation.”
The company’s statement was signed by Denny Warnick, chief operating officer.
A Customer Described Thieves Trying to Break Into Cars in the In-N-Out Burger Parking Lot
GettyA different In-N-Out Burger location.
According to CBS News, In-N-Out Burger “follows a long line of businesses that has shut down in the last year citing crime as the driving factor.”
Customer Jan Bundy described to CBS News witnessing people breaking into cars in the parking lot. “They have weapons, so you don’t want to run up and be no hero,” Bundy said, according to CBS.
He also told CBS News that thieves tried to break into his vehicle while he was eating inside the restaurant.
“They were trying to steal my vehicle, but I had a kill switch on. So they couldn’t get my vehicle, but they took all my belongings out,” Bundy told CBS.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, there have been more than 1,500 criminal incidents at the location, with many car break-ins since the location is located near the freeway, “presenting an easy escape route.”
The newspaper reported that crime in Oakland has been “surging.”
According to KTVU-TV, In-N-Out Burger still has other locations in the area. They are located in “in Alameda, San Leandro, Union City and San Ramon,” in California, the television station reported.
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