PLEASANT HILL — Contra Costa County’s health department has fined In-N-Out Burger $750 for not checking if customers were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before allowing them to dine inside.
The popular burger chain’s Pleasant Hill location twice violated the rules, which require restaurants to ask customers 12 and older for vaccination cards or proof that they tested negative for the coronavirus in the past 72 hours, Contra Costa Health Services said in an email.
After receiving numerous complaints from people, the county first issued the restaurant a warning and then successive fines of $250 and $500. The county sent its latest notice of fine to the restaurant on Tuesday.
“Our health inspectors have visited the business and observed violations of the local order,” Karl Fischer, a spokesman for Contra Costa Health Services, said in an email.
In-N-Out did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The chain’s San Francisco location was closed for indoor dining this week after the company’s employees refused to check for vaccination cards, according to city officials.
“We refuse to become the vaccination police for any government,” In-N-Out Chief Legal & Business Officer Arnie Wensinger said in a statement to KRON4. “We fiercely disagree with any government dictate that forces a private company to discriminate against customers who choose to patronize their business.”
The family-established chain has built an intensely loyal customer base since it was founded in 1948, becoming a prominent face of fast food in California. Restaurants have since opened in six other states.
In-N-Out has also been noted for its past donations to the California Republican Party. The company has never been shy about its ties to Christianity, often printing references to the Biblical verse John 3:16 on the bottom of its soda cups.
Meanwhile, owners of restaurants, bars and gyms expected to enforce the county’s health guidance have expressed concern over negative blowback against their businesses — fearing confrontations with customers or abuse from those who don’t want to comply with the mandate.
“We want to comply, but we don’t feel like it’s our responsibility to police the public,” said Patrick Kelly, who manages food and cocktail spot Norm’s Place in Danville, in an interview last month.
Source: www.mercurynews.com