Shut down by San Francisco authorities for defying mandate, In-N-Out says: ‘We refuse to become the vaccination police’

In-N-Out Burger’s location in San Francisco was forced by the city’s health department to close temporarily after it refused to enforce the city’s vaccine mandate among its customers.

Quick Facts

• The city of San Francisco’s vaccine mandate went into effect on August 20.
• This mandate bars people from dining inside of restaurants, going to movie theaters, and participating in other indoor activities without proof of vaccination.
• Restaurants are directed to screen patrons before they are allowed to enter the restaurant, checking for their vaccine proof and ID.
• If patrons do not have the proper paperwork, the restaurant is then supposed to bar them from entering or they will be shut down, as was the case with In-and-Out Burger.

The vaccine mandate put out by San Francisco stated: “As soon as possible, but no later than August 20, 2021, Covered Businesses must require all patrons ages 12 and older to show proof that they are Fully Vaccinated before entering any indoor portion of a facility, subject only to the exceptions below and any applicable requirements of federal, state, or local laws requiring accommodation.”

The order continued, “Dining establishments and bars that serve food may allow individuals wearing a Well-Fitted Mask to enter the indoor portion of the facility to order, pick up, or pay for food or drink ‘to go’ without showing proof of Full Vaccination.”

Some restaurants, in order to avoid the fiasco of trying to screen each person who tries to come through their doors, have stopped offering indoor dining altogether.

The San Francisco In-N-Out was grilled by the city’s health department after it was found that, although they had hung the proper signage outside of their restaurant, no one was checking for patrons’ vaccination status, but were instead allowing vaccinated and unvaccinated alike to dine inside.

When pushed about their reasoning behind not complying with the city’s requirements, In-N-Out’s Chief Legal and Business Officer Arnie Wensinger said, “We refuse to become the vaccination police for any government.”

He then slammed the health department’s guidelines, calling them “unreasonable, invasive, and unsafe.”

San Francisco’s Department of Health responded to Wensinger by saying, “Vaccines remain our best tool to fight this disease and come out of the pandemic. 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.”

In-N-Out Burger, as it is officially known, was founded in 1948 by Harry and Esther Snyder and is now run by their granddaughter, Lynsi Snyder, a Christian who tries to incorporate her beliefs into the iconic company’s operations. In-N-Out, which is privately owned, currently has 358 locations across the western region of the U.S.

The vaccine mandates enacted in cities like New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans are unconstitutional and are setting the stage for a divide greater than we’ve ever seen.

Pitting the vaccinated against the unvaccinated and segregating those who want to make their own decisions about their health without coercion from their government is wrong — plain and simple.

Not only are they pitting two groups against each other, but the government is requiring private businesses to enforce their tyrannical mandates on the threat of being shut down. That gives businesses one of two bad choices: Invade their customers’ privacy or lose their livelihoods.

The government is obviously not listening to what its citizens are saying, and while they may say they follow the science, it has been shown time and time again that they are not.

The only way we’re going to be able to get our point across is to stand our ground and fight for our rights. Like In-N-Out, Southwest Airlines, and others who are standing up, we have to say “No.”

Mandates of this scale are not American. They have no business here.