An In-N-Out Burger outlet in San Francisco was forced to shut down because it failed to comply with the city's customer vaccine mandate. The San Francisco Department of Public Health said it had ordered the temporary closure of the restaurant due to the violation.
The SFDPH said the In-N-Out Burger outlet did not comply with the health order that required it to check the vaccination status of customers before allowing them to eat indoors.
In-N-Out Chief Legal & Business Officer Arnie Wensinger pushed back at the closure order and said that the company is outright refusing to become the "vaccination police" for the city. Wensinger said the mandate is "unreasonable, invasive, and unsafe."
Wensinger explained that forcing its employees to segregate customers based on their vaccination status would place them at unnecessary risk.
"We fiercely disagree with any government dictate that forces a private company to discriminate against customers who choose to patronize their business," Wensinger said.
The company added that the mandate to require restaurants and other establishments to check for proof of vaccination is a "clear governmental overreach" and is "offensive" to both workers and employees.
SFDPH officials said they had sent the particular In-N-Out Burger outlet multiple warnings following reports that it was not following the city's mandate. The restaurant had reportedly placed signs as required by the city but it did not conduct checks on indoor dine-in customers. After it refused to heed the warnings, the health department said it was forced to ultimately issue a closure order.
After negotiating with the health department, the restaurant was allowed to reopen. The outlet still declined to follow the mandate and opted to close down its indoor facilities. It is now open to take-out orders and outdoor dining only.
Since the start of the pandemic, San Francisco has had some of the country's strictest vaccine rules and mandates. As new cases of COVID-19 continue to drop, the city has lifted some rules, including the requirement to wear masks indoors in some public places.
For now, San Francisco is still requiring restaurants to check if customers are vaccinated before allowing them to dine indoors. As of this week, around 83% of the city's adult population is fully vaccinated.
