In-N-Out closes Oakland restaurant after gunshots whiz through store, increased violence

The heiress of California's In-N-Out burger said crime was so bad she had to close the chain’s Oakland location earlier this year even though it was profitable. Lynsi Snyder told PragerU on Monday, "I mean, there was a lot…gunshots went through the store, there was a stabbing, there was a lot. For the safety of our associates, we just felt like, this is not OK.”

Snyder added that police response times were "alarming." In January when the restaurant closed, In-N-Out’s chief operating officer Denny Warnick told SFGate, "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.”

At the time of the closure announcement, crime in Oakland had risen at higher levels compared to other urban cities in California. In 2023, violent crime had jumped by  21 percent, robbery by 38 percent, and vehicle theft by 45 percent, according to Fox Business.

That same month, Denny's also closed its only location in Oakland due to the high crime. The company said, "The safety and well-being of Denny's team members and value guests is our top priority. Weighing those factors, the decision has been made to close this location." 

In July, 6 months after the closures were announced, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom announced that 120 California Highway Patrol officers would be deployed to the city to address the issues and to assist local authorities. 

Newsom said at the time, "As crime rates across California decrease — including right across the Bay in San Francisco — Oakland is seeing the opposite trend. What’s happening in this beautiful city and surrounding area is alarming and unacceptable. I’m sending the California Highway Patrol to assist local efforts to restore a sense of safety that the hardworking people of Oakland and the East Bay demand and deserve."