(Headline USA) In-N-Out Burger’s only location in Oakland, Calif., announced this weekend that it would be closing its doors due to rampant crime.
The fast food joint is one of the only burger spots still turning a profit and has been in the community for 18 years. But continuing operations has become untenable, according to In-N-Out CEO Denny Warnick.
“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,” Warnick wrote, according to CBS East Bay.
“This location remains a busy and profitable one for the company, but our top priority must be the safety and wellbeing of our Customers and Associates—we cannot ask them to visit or work in an unsafe environment,” he added.
Workers at Oakland’s In-N-Out can either transfer to another one of the company’s fast-food restaurants or accept a severance package, according to the company.
“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,” Warnick wrote.
The location will shut down for good in March, Warnick added.
Data released by the Oakland Police Department showed violent crime in the area has skyrocketed over the past couple of years. From 2022 to 2023, for example, robberies increased by 38% and motor-vehicle theft spiked by 44%.
Since 2019, Oakland police have recorded 1,335 incidents just in and around the fast-food restaurant.
One In-N-Out customer told CBS that carjackers tried to steal his car while he was inside the restaurant’s dining room.
“They were trying to steal my vehicle, but I had a kill switch on,” said Jan Bundy, a lifelong Oakland resident. “So they couldn’t get my vehicle, but they took all my belongings out.”
