The popular burger chain In-N-Out is lashing out after San Francisco temporarily shut down its indoor dining and fined one of their locations multiple times for refusing to check customers' vaccination status.
The company's Fisherman's Wharf location - the only In-N-Out franchise in San Francisco - was shut by the Health Department last Thursday for declining to enforce the state's stringent coronavirus restrictions, and was hit with several fines in the process.
Health inspectors had visited the restaurant in question three times and saw violations of the health ordinance after they say they received a complaint through its 311 service line about the lack of vaccine verification there, CBS San Francisco reports.
'Our records show that (Contra Costa Health Services) has issued a notice of violation on October 5, followed by a notice of fine on October 14 for $250, and a notice of fine on October 19 for $500,' the department spokesperson, Karl Fischer, said in an email to the outlet.
On Wednesday, anyone note ordering takeout was turned away with a sign reading, 'in compliance with the city and county of San Francisco, indoor dining is unavailable at this time.'
Pictured: a sign on the Fisherman's Wharf In-N-Out location on Wednesday, which reads 'in compliance with the city and county of San Francisco, indoor dining is unavailable at this time'
A customer carries food while exiting an In-N-Out restaurant in San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, Wednesday October 20, about a week after the city and county shut down inside dining
Health inspectors had visited the restaurant in question three times and saw violations of the health ordinance
Authorities said the burger chain had refused to bar clients who couldn't show proof of vaccination to dine indoors, as required by a citywide mandate that came into effect on August 20.
In-N-Out ignored repeated warnings to enforce the vaccination rule, the department said, calling the mandate a matter of public health to keep COVID-19 from spreading.
Meanwhile, In-N-Out's chief legal and business officer Arnie Wensinger declared: 'We refuse to become the vaccination police for any government.'
In-N-Out was the only San Francisco restaurant that was closed for violating the mandate.
Wensinger maintained that the burger joint had clearly communicated vaccine requirements to customers via signage, only refusing a direct instruction from local health officials for staff to actively perform spot checks on customers' vaccine passes.
Pictured: Fisherman's Wharf location - the only In-N-Out location in San Francisco - was temporarily shut down last week for declining to enforce the state's coronavirus
