The impending closure due to crime is a first in the fast-food company’s 75-year history
The only In-N-Out Burger in Oakland, California is soon to be no more after it will close down due to the levels of crime and that may end up being what leads to a recall of the city’s mayor.
In-N-Out Burger announced this week that its restaurant near Hegenberger Road in Oakland will be closed come March, despite its profitability. The fast food company’s Chief Operating Officer, Denny Warwick, said in a statement the decision comes after the company attempted to make the location safer.
“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. “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.”
Some residents of Oakland apparently believe the city’s crime issues stem at least partially from its leadership. Specifically, they think Oakland’s Mayor Sheng Thao is to blame. On Friday, the group Oakland United to Recall Sheng Thao published a notice of intent to recall the mayor. It says it will begin collecting signatures toward the effort beginning in February.