OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — In-N-Out Burger says it will close its first location in its 75-year history due to a wave of car break-ins, property damage, thefts and robberies affecting customers and employees alike only restaurant in Oakland, California.
The fast-food burger joint in a busy corridor near Oakland International Airport will close March 24 because even though the company has “taken repeated steps to create safer conditions, our customers and employees regularly fall victim.” by Denny Warnick, In-N-Out's chief operating officer said in a statement Wednesday.
“We feel that the frequency and severity of the crimes our customers and employees face leave us no other choice,” Warnick said.
As the San Francisco Chronicle reported, Oakland saw a rise in property crimes and robberies across the city compared to San Francisco.
The In-N-Out, which is scheduled to close, is located in a busy commercial corridor that attracts travelers heading to the airport and baseball fans attending A's games at the Coliseum. Since 2019, police have logged 1,335 incidents near the restaurant on Oakport Street — more than any other location in Oakland, the newspaper reported.
That number includes nine robberies, two commercial burglaries, four domestic violence incidents and 1,174 car break-ins, according to Oakland police data shared with the Chronicle. Oakland police did not immediately respond to a request from The Associated Press for the data and comment.
Sean Crawford, who works in a building just around the corner from the restaurant, told the newspaper that last year he saw two people get out of a car, walk from vehicle to vehicle in the In-N-Out drive-thru lane and rob People at gunpoint.
In-N-Out Burger is based in Irvine, California.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao told KTVU-TV that more police officers have been deployed to the area but that more needs to be done.
“As mayor, I have made this important gateway to Oakland a priority,” Thao told the Oakland-based television station, adding that Oakland police have set up three cameras to monitor the area.
Thao's office also provided statistics showing that property crime on Hegenberger Road, a main street near the burger joint that connects the airport to the Coliseum, trended downward at the end of 2023, with car break-ins down 43% Incidents fell from 308 to 176 and thefts fell by 49%.