The city of San Francisco shut down its only In-and-Out burger joint for not forcing its customers to prove they were vaccinated before allowing them into the restaurant.
According to this, the Fisherman’s Wharf location of the popular West Coast fast food, known for its "animal fries" and the Bible verses on the bottom of its paper cups, was temporarily closed by the city for failing to comply with an August mandate declaring all indoor dining customers be vaccinated in order to enter a restaurant - a mandate that apparently requires store employees to manually verify each customers' status upon entry. The restaurant has since reopened for drive-thru service, but indoor dining remains closed.
"We refuse to become the vaccination police for any government," In-N-Out's Chief Legal and Business Officer Arnie Wensinger told Fox News.
"Our store properly and clearly posted signage to communicate local vaccination requirements," he added. “After closing our restaurant, local regulators informed us that our restaurant Associates must actively intervene by demanding proof of vaccination and photo identification from every Customer, then act as enforcement personnel by barring entry for any Customers without the proper documentation."
"We fiercely disagree with any government dictate that forces a private company to discriminate against customers who choose to patronize their business," Wensinger continued. "This is clear governmental overreach and is intrusive, improper, and offensive."
The city defended its move, saying in a statement that, “Vaccination is particularly important in a public indoor setting where groups of people are gathering and removing their masks, factors that make it easier for the virus to spread. That is why San Francisco requires proof of vaccination for indoor dining.”
Freedom is important to keep the virus of tyranny from spreading, a deadly disease against which In-and-Out has taken precautions. Unfortunately, public susceptibility to that pandemic remains high.