• by Tanya Gazdik , January 25, 2024

In-N-Out is closing one of its locations due to crime — a first for the 75-year-old burger chain. 

The Oakland, California location, which has been open for nearly two decades, will close on March 24, according to CNN Business. 

The burger chain said in a statement that “despite taking repeated steps to create safer conditions, our customers and associates are regularly victimized by car break-ins, property damage, theft, and armed robberies.”

While several of its stores have relocated, the Oakland location, which is in a busy corridor near the airport, is the first to close, according to the statement. 

“A host of businesses have closed in Oakland and cited crime as the reason, including a Raising Cane’s that closed its dining room in March,” NBC Bay Area reported. “Oakland police have increased patrols and cameras to help combat crime.”

Oakland has seen an increase in property crime and robberies throughout the city, according to theSan Francisco Chronicle.

Since 2019, police have logged 1,335 incidents in the vicinity of the restaurant on Oakport Street — more than any other location in Oakland, the newspaper reported.

"They have been long patient with us and there is no more patience," said Councilmember Treva Reid, according to NBC Bay Area. "They have given us grace and they want action. They want to see how and when and where we are going to work with them.”

Oakland cut back on police to pay for public-worker pensions.

“You might also say it is the victim of a progressive backlash to law enforcement and soaring government-worker pension costs that have squeezed spending on public safety,” according toThe Wall Street Journal in an opinion piece about the closure. “In-N-Out’s store by the Oakland airport drew hordes of travelers, but its packed parking lot and long drive-through line were frequently targeted by thieves.”

Starbucks, Target, CVS and other stores have closed across the country over concerns about crime.

A CVS store in a Washington, D.C neighborhood that has been the target of multiple retail thefts in recent months will close at the end of February, a company spokesperson told ABC 7News WJLA. 

Last year Starbucks closed one of its Detroit locations next to a Whole Foods Market due to safety issues.  The coffee chain closed 16 stores around the country in 2022 due to safety concerns. Those stores were in Seattle, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington and Portland, Oregon, according toThe Detroit News.