OAKLAND, Calif. – An In-N-Out Burger location in Northern California has decided to close its doors for good in the coming months, citing “issues of ongoing crime.”
In a statement released by Chief Operating Officer Denny Warnick regarding the closure, the company said, “We have made the decision to close our In-N-Out Burger location in Oakland, California, due to ongoing issues with crime. 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.”
The widely popular fast food restaurant at 8300 Oakport Street in Oakland has been open for 18 years prior to the decision to shutter the business.
According to Warnick, all of the associates at the Oakland location will be given the opportunity to transfer to a nearby In-N-Out venue or receive a severance package, KTLA reported.
“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,” said Warnick. “Additionally, 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.”
Closing various stores and shops in California has been ongoing for several years due to crime-related problems. Walgreens, Target and Starbucks are just three of the big name businesses that have pulled up stakes at multiple locations.
Meanwhile, if customers are not victimized by crime, they are going to be gouged at the cash register as many fast food restaurants in California are also being forced to increase prices since the minimum wage for all fast food employees climbs to $20 an hour in April under a new California law, KRON 4 reported.
Marcus Walberg’s family owns and operates four Fatburger restaurants in Los Angeles. He recently told Business Insider that he sees no option but to raise prices and make other changes in order to survive.
“It’s a scary thing because customers are already complaining that prices are too high,” Walberg told the business news outlet.
Executives at McDonald’s and Chipotle Mexican Grill agree and have signaled that menu price hikes are inevitable.
Furthermore, two major Pizza Hut franchise operators in California announced last month they would be laying off all in-house delivery drivers as a result of the new law. This amounts to about 2,000 delivery people from six major counties across the state.
