California fast food giant, In-N-Out Burger, earned itself a public flogging in the left-wing haven of San Francisco after the company refused to comply with the city’s vaccine mandate.
According to KRON4, the San Francisco Department of Public Health shut down the city’s In-N-Out Burger restaurant near Fisherman’s Wharf because “employees were not properly checking for customers’ vaccination documentation.”
The shutdown occurred on Thursday, October 14. The restaurant has since reopened but only for drive-thru dining. San Francisco issued a strict vaccine mandate this past August, dictating that “all restaurants, bars, clubs, gyms and large indoor events” must “obtain proof of vaccination from patrons and employees to protect against the coronavirus.”
In a statement, In-N-Out Chief Legal & Business Officer Arnie Wensinger said that the company “fiercely” disagrees with government mandates that force businesses to discriminate:
We refuse to become the vaccination police for any government. It is unreasonable, invasive, and unsafe to force our restaurant associates to segregate customers into those who may be served and those who may not, whether based on the documentation they carry, or any other reason.
“We fiercely disagree with any government dictate that forces a private company to discriminate against customers who choose to patronize their business,” he added.
According to Eater SF, the San Francisco Department of Public Health had been pressuring the In-N-Out location to comply with the city’s mandate “for weeks” after receiving several complaints.
The city’s Joint Information Center Outreach Team first visited the restaurant on September 24 after receiving a complaint to the 311 non-emergency service line. Inspectors from the Environmental Health division who followed up on October 6, found the restaurant was still in violation of the health order and issued a Notice to Comply.
The department finally issued a Notice of Closure on October 14, at which point the restaurant was “instructed to cease all operations on site immediately because of the threat it poses to public health,” according to the Department of Public Health. The owner of the property, Anchorage Holdings LP, which is based in Addison, Texas, was also issued a Notice of Violation.
On Thursday, after a covert revolt within its ranks, Southwest Airlines announced it will not be putting unvaccinated staff on unpaid leave come December as previously planned.
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