In-N-Out Burger Is Out of Oakland

Having been born and raised in the Midwest, I grew up without the benefits of In-N-Out Burger. White Castle? Yes. Big Boy? I ate there plenty of times. In-N-Out Burger? That was a mystery to me until they began opening up franchises in Utah. I am on a personal quest to find the perfect cheeseburger, and I have a few contenders. While In-N-Out Burger is not one of the finalists, it offers a pretty tasty burger and good fries. A fact that has not gone unnoticed by everyone else, since every time I get a craving for In-N-Out Burger, the lines are practically backed up to the horizon. And with good reason. The restaurants are clean and well-run, the prices are reasonable, the service is usually fairly fast, and the food is good. And here is a bonus: If you look carefully at your package, you may notice that there is some fine print. That fine print is a passage from scripture. You have to look it up on your own, but the book, chapter, and verse are all there. Check the bottom edge of your cup the next time you stop in.

Sadly, residents in Oakland, CA, will not be able to check for scripture on their cups, get a cheeseburger, or enjoy even a small order of fries. In-N-Out Burger has had all the crime it can stand and is shutting its doors. 

Smash and grab at the In-N-Out Burger in Oakland California in 2023. One of many occurrences. pic.twitter.com/b26qOcFV0z

— In-N-Out Burger ᶠᵃⁿ (@innoutburger_) January 22, 2024

With scenes like the one above in the parking lot, who can blame In-N-Out Burger? Between the robberies and car break-ins, it has to be tough to stay open. Customers don't feel safe, and neither do employees. One simply cannot run a business that way. Oakland has continued to fester as a hotbed of crime for some time now, even as officials there and throughout the region scamper to blame anything and anyone except their policies. The Post Millennial noted that there has been a 43% increase in armed robberies within the city over the last year, with violent crime at a peak since the '90s. KTG-TV reporter Dion Lim posted on X:

𝐎𝐚𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧-𝐍-𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐮𝐞 𝐓𝐨 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞:

The company just confirmed to me with this statement that they’re closing due to ongoing crime & despite “taking repeated steps to create safer conditions.”

They say in part: “our Customers and… pic.twitter.com/DRCHTUTKqB

— Dion Lim (@DionLimTV) January 21, 2024

If you expand the post, you will see where Lim says, "Note: as someone who covers a lot of crime, large companies aren’t always so blunt in their messaging about why they’re closing. It says a lot." 

As per Todd Starnes, the news outlet SF Gate said that the franchise's location is two miles away from Oakland International Airport. Rental car companies at the airport have warned customers who return vehicles to keep an eye on their belongings and avoid using gas stations in the vicinity of the restaurant. Oakland police said that 271 auto burglaries have occurred at a Shell station near the In-N-Out Burger. There have also been 15 robberies and five incidents of vehicle theft. SF Gate further reported that security guards who work for Allied Universal and Brosnan Risk Consultants informed the San Francisco Standard that they have taken more reports of theft at that restaurant than any other area that they patrol, with up to five break-ins each day.

In-N-Out Burger has every right to be blunt. Honestly, the situation in Oakland and San Francisco is past the point where people need to be blunt. That goes for L.A., too. The people who run these cities will likely continue to turn to uncontrolled immigration, higher taxes, lax laws, and "novel" approaches to law enforcement. And, as the inevitable results continue to manifest themselves, these same leaders will blame COVID-19, institutional racism, a lack of equity, transphobia, and probably Donald Trump. They will decry the existence of food deserts and allocate more money to some nebulous program that will look good on paper, line someone's pockets, and accomplish absolutely nothing. It will never occur to them that black, Hispanic, and even trans people may just want to get a burger and fries without worrying about being carjacked or dealing with broken windows in their vehicles. 

On the other hand, one must have a degree of bewildering respect for city and state governments that plunge headlong down the road to utter destruction while still managing to call it progress. That level of delusion does not come cheap.