Taco Bell closes indoor dining at 4 Oakland locations due to rampant crime

Some Taco Bells in Oakland, California are closing their dining rooms and switching over to only offering drive-thru service due to rising crime.

According to CBS, at least four Taco Bells, all owned by the Diversified Restaurant Group, have shut down their indoor dining option.

Taco Bell said in a statement, "Providing a safe environment for team members and customers is the priority at Taco Bell restaurants. The franchise owner and operator has informed us that they are consistently evaluating and working to ensure a safe environment by implementing procedures, such as closing dining rooms and hiring security guards, and they have taken extra measures to meet with local law enforcement."

One location at 35th Avenue and MacArthur has been robbed at least four times since November. During the most recent robbery, suspects used a truck to drive through the store’s windows to attach a cable to a safe and drive away.

The one remaining Taco Bell in Oakland on Telegraph Avenue will still offer indoor dining but has stopped cash transactions.

The news followed the announcement that In-N-Out announced it would be closing its Oakland location, the first time in the company’s 75-year-old history that it has been forced to close a location. A Starbucks in the same shopping center also closed.

Denny’s also recently closed an Oakland location after 54 years in business due to rampant crime.

According to statistics from Nov. 2023, Oakland saw a 43 percent increase in strong-armed robberies within the last year, and the city's violent crime reached its highest numbers since the 1990s.