In-N-Out closes in San Francisco over refusal to enforce vaccine mandate

City officials made move on 14 October after the burger chain said it wouldn’t force staff to check if customers were fully vaccinated

In-N-Out burger has become the first restaurant in San Francisco to be temporarily closed for failing to enforce the city’s vaccine mandate. City officials made the move on 14 October after the burger chain said it won’t force staff to check that customers were fully vaccinated before allowing them to dine inside the restaurant.

Restaurants in San Francisco, as well as a number of US cities including New York and New Orleans, are legally required to make customers show proof of vaccination before dining indoors. Health officials in the city, who have been carrying out checks on restaurants, say they made numerous requests to In-N-Out to enforce these checks but have not seen improvement after weeks of spot checks.

This failure to comply led to the city’s department of public health (SFDPH) closing San Francisco’s only In-N-Out location, in Fisherman’s Wharf, a waterfront tourist market. The restaurant has since reopened for takeout but is still not able to offer indoor dining. SFDPH’s official Twitter account joked that restaurants might want to consider the name In-N-Outside.

The city’s only In-N-Out location was closed by the SF Dept. of Public Health (@SF_DPH) last week because employees “were not preventing the entry of Customers who were not carrying proper vaccination documentation,” according to a statement from #InNOut: https://t.co/5FmZNtJ04o

— SFGATE (@SFGate) October 19, 2021

In-N-Out has been bullish in its response to the ruling, admitting the restaurant was not turning away customers who didn’t show proof of vaccination. “We refuse to become the vaccination police for any government,” Arnie Wensinger, the company’s chief legal and business officer, said in a statement. “It is unreasonable, invasive and unsafe to force our restaurant associates to segregate customers into those who may be served and those who may not.”

Wesinger said enforcing the rule affected customer service but made clear that the company was taking a political, rather than merely practical stand. “We fiercely disagree with any government dictate that forces a private company to discriminate against customers who choose to patronize their business. This is clear governmental overreach and is intrusive, improper, and offensive,” he wrote.

The majority of In-N-Out’s other locations are in Texas, southern California and Utah, where there are no statewide mandates for restaurant customers – however, its branches in the city of Los Angeles, where a vaccine mandate for restaurant customers is expected to be signed into law by Mayor Eric Garcetti next month, may also fall foul of inspectors.

In-N-Out has gained a cult status unlike any other fast food restaurant – in part due to its cheap prices, fresh ingredients and “secret menu” of toppings that customers can order even though they are not advertised in stores. It has been name-checked in songs by Childish Gambino and Jaden Smith. Anthony Bourdain even called it “the only fast-food chain that I actually like”.

Its trendy status is quite separate from its conservative Christian owners. “John 3:16”, a reference to a Bible verse, is printed on many of its cups and wrappers. A number of the chain’s executives have made donations to the Republican party, including Mark Taylor, the COO, who has donated more than $15,000 to Donald Trump and the GOP since 2016.

Contributor

Sam Wolfson

The GuardianTramp

Related Content

Article image
'Please visit Chinatown': coronavirus fears empty San Francisco district
The historic neighborhood has seen business plummet as tourists stay away despite Nancy Pelosi insisting it is ‘very safe’

Vivian Ho in San Francisco

27, Feb, 2020 @12:54 PM

Article image
San Francisco shuts down illegal nightclub operating amid coronavirus
Club admonished as ‘epitome of irresponsibility’ after video shows more than 150 people leaving and entering over a weekend

Mario Koran in San Francisco

13, Apr, 2020 @11:46 PM

Article image
San Francisco becomes first US city to mandate fully paid parental leave
Activists hope new law will pave way for more progressive policies in the US, the only developed country that doesn’t guarantee paid maternal or paternal leave

Sam Levin in San Francisco

05, Apr, 2016 @9:49 PM

Article image
Wasted time: how San Francisco failed its homeless population amid coronavirus
Thousands of unhoused people remain on the streets or in overcrowded shelters as hotel rooms sit unused

Vivian Ho in San Francisco

08, Apr, 2020 @12:29 PM

Article image
San Francisco mayor: recalled school board members were distracted by politics
Covid closures and attempt to rename schools deemed named for figures linked to injustice, including Abraham Lincoln, fueled vote

Martin Pengelly

20, Feb, 2022 @5:25 PM

Article image
San Francisco officials tell residents not to call 911 amid Omicron surge
The virus has depleted the ranks of emergency and essential workers, leaving California’s health system critically strained

Maanvi Singh

10, Jan, 2022 @11:33 PM

Article image
Late registration: Yeezy to pay $950,000 to settle false advertising lawsuit
Los Angeles district attorney’s complaint says the company made ‘untrue or misleading statements’ about shipping times

Samira Sadeque

09, Nov, 2021 @4:54 PM

Article image
San Francisco to reopen indoor dining, gyms and museums as Covid cases fall
California city, which was among the first to impose a lockdown, has seen some of the lowest case and death rates in the US

Vivian Ho and agencies

03, Mar, 2021 @9:42 PM

Article image
San Francisco cancels 50th anniversary LGBTQ+ Pride parade amid pandemic
Organizers say tough decision was made for ‘wellbeing of community’, and that they will join others in a virtual global event

Kari Paul in San Francisco

15, Apr, 2020 @12:31 AM

Article image
San Francisco may be first major US city to hit herd immunity, experts say
City still recording small number of Covid cases per day but they don’t appear to be triggering wider outbreaks

Erin McCormick in Berkeley

08, Jun, 2021 @9:26 PM