Wednesday's Absurdity of the Day: I'm Gonna Have to Take Back All the Bad Things I've Said About In-n-Out Burger
I’ve never been a fan of In-n-Out Burger, the California-based fast food chain that has invaded the Texas market in recent years. Texas is kind of like China in that regard - all of these corporations want a piece of our rapidly expanding market. I grew up eating Whataburgers, and for me, that remains the king of the burger chains.
But, just as COVID and our government’s insane response to it has changed so many of our perceptions over the last 20 months, it is now forcing me to change my perception and position towards In-n-Out Burger.
That’s because, in a story straight out of our “You Just Could Never Make This Stuff Up, Folks” file, the City of San Francisco - because of course it’s the City of San Francisco - recently forced the closing of that city’s only In-n-Out location in the Fisherman’s Wharf area because it refused to enforce the mayor’s brutish COVID vaccination mandate. That mandate required employees who are not doctors, not nurses, not paramedics, but trained burger flippers and cash register operators to determine the vaccination status of customers entering the store.
As I said, insane.
But management at In-n-Out is apparently not made up of your standard, everyday collection of corporate cowards. The company’s management told the city that it refuses “to become the vaccination police,” and, while posting appropriate signage, instructed its employees to otherwise ignore the order.
Here’s an excerpt from a story at SF Eater:
The only San Francisco location of wildly popular California-based fast food chain In-N-Out Burger was temporarily shut down and remains closed for indoor dining after the SF Department of Public Health found the restaurant was not properly enforcing the city’s vaccination mandate for indoor dining, KRON4 reported first. The city shut down the restaurant at 333 Jefferson Street on Thursday, October 14, after learning staff weren’t checking diners’ proof of vaccination or preventing customers without proof of vaccination from entering.
The restaurant has since resumed takeout and outdoor dining, but the company seems to be digging its heels on the vaccination mandate: In a statement provided to Eater SF, In-N-Out Chief Legal & Business Officer Arnie Wensinger says the company believes requiring its staff to enforce a vaccination mandate constitutes government “overreach” and is refusing to do so. “We fiercely disagree with any government dictate that forces a private company to discriminate against customers who choose to patronize their business,” Wensinger’s statement reads. “This is clear governmental overreach and is intrusive, improper, and offensive.”
…
The company says it has “properly and clearly posted signage to communicate local vaccination requirements.” But In-N-Out also admits employees were not checking customers’ vaccinations cards and IDs, nor were they preventing customers who are not able to prove they’ve been vaccinated from entering the restaurant, which the health department told the company that staff must do. “As a Company, In-N-Out Burger strongly believes in the highest form of customer service and to us that means serving all Customers who visit us and making all Customers feel welcome,” the statement continues. “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.”
[End]
Glorious.
We have an In-n-Out location here in the little town where I live. While I’ve never been a fan, my little wifey is. I can’t wait ‘til lunchtime so I can treat her to her favorite burger. Corporate courage such as this all too rare and should be rewarded.
That is all.