The In-N-Out location in Oakland, California, is set to close due to an increase in crime, the company confirmed in a statement.
In a statement confirmed to ABC7 News reporter Dion Lim, In-N-Out Chief Operating Officer Denny Warnick confirmed the company is closing its location in Oakland โ “due to ongoing issues with crime” โ on March 24.
“We have made the decision to close our In-N-Out Burger location in Oakland, California, due to ongoing issues with crime,” Warnick wrote. “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.”
๐๐๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง-๐-๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐จ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐:
— Dion Lim (@DionLimTV) January 21, 2024
The company just confirmed to me with this statement that theyโre closing due to ongoing crime & despite โtaking repeated steps to create safer conditions.โ
They say in part: โour Customers andโฆ pic.twitter.com/DRCHTUTKqB
“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 added. “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.”
Employees affected by the location’s closure will “have the opportunity” to be to be transferred to another In-N-Out location or to receive a severance package from the company, Warnick added.
“In-N-Out Burger has a history of supporting the Oakland community through charitable giving that predates the opening of our location there,” Warnick added. “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.”
In 2023, there were roughly 3,687 robberies in Oakland, a 38% increase from the 2,680 robberies seen in 2022, according to data from the Oakland Police Department (OPD).
There were 17,239 burglaries reported in 2023, a 23% increase from the 13,994 reported in 2022, according to the data. The OPD also reported seeing 14,736 motor vehicle theft incidents in 2023, a 44% increase from the 10,247 motor vehicle theft incidents reported in 2022.
Oakland has been left without a police chief for almost a year after Mayor Sheng Thao placed the police chief on leave and then fired him.
While the mayor previously stated she would “declare a state of emergency” if a police chief hadn’t been named by the end of 2023, she has reportedly rejected three candidates to be police chief suggested by the police commission, further delaying the process, according to ABC7 News.