In-N-Out owner says Oakland restaurant was closed for safety of customers and staff

The In-N-Out in Oakland earlier this year became the first location in the restaurant chain to be permanently closed, a decision the owner of the fast-food company recently doubled down on by blaming rampant crime, slow police response times and “absolutely dangerous” conditions for customers and staff.

In-N-Out representatives had previously blamed surging crime for the closure, and the chain’s owner, Lynsi Snyder, elaborated on the decision Monday in an interview with conservative media outlet PragerU. The popular burger joint, which first opened in Baldwin Park in 1948, opened its 400th store last year and now operates in eight states.

The Oakland restaurant, which closed in March, was located near Hegenberger Road, a main route to and from Oakland International Airport.

“Out of 365 days, I think [in] almost 300 days there was some type of event, some type of thing in Oakland,” Snyder said of the location.

She elaborated that there were robberies, car burglaries, violence, fights and theft.

“There was actually a gunshot [that] went through the store,” Synder said.

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When In-N-Out announced the closure in January, Denny Warnick, the company’s chief operating officer, said “despite taking repeated steps to create safer conditions,” the restaurant was closing because customers were regularly victimized by crime.

On Monday, Synder said the store was closed for the safety of their associates, adding that “we just felt like this is not OK and the amount of time it would take for the police to get there, too, was alarming.”

In-N-Out representatives did not respond to The Times’ request for clarification of what the police response times were.

In a statement, the Oakland Police Department said crime rates are down by 34% overall compared with this time last year.

“The continued collaboration with our law enforcement partners, implementation of the Ceasefire gun violence prevention strategy, and greatly improved 911 call pickup times continue to pay off,” the statement said.

Still, other high-profile restaurants and businesses in Oakland have closed because of the city’s crime problem.

In response to the problem, state officials offered support and residents voted to recall the mayor, whom many blamed for the lack of law enforcement in Oakland.

In February, Gov. Gavin Newsom sent 120 Highway Patrol officers to the city under a state law enforcement campaign aimed at reducing violent crime and theft.

City and nonprofit officials are working to restore Ceasefire, a prevention program that pairs residents with life coaches and services that include therapy, drug rehabilitation and job training. The program was credited by city officials for a 43% reduction in homicides from 2012 to 2017. The program fizzled during the COVID-19 pandemic when in-person visits were put on hold.

A group called Oakland United to Recall Sheng Thao campaigned to remove her as mayor for not declaring a state of emergency on crime, not replacing the fire chief she fired in February and missing a 2023 deadline to apply for more than $276 million in state funds available to cities and counties to fight retail theft.