In-N-Out Burger is taking a firm stand against San Francisco COVID-19 restrictions that require businesses to check the vaccination status of customers before serving them food — a stand that has forced the restaurant to temporarily close down in at least one of its locations.
As highlighted by The Daily Wire on Tuesday, a San Fransisco In-N-Out Burger location was shut down for not checking customers’ vaccine status. The restaurant has opened up outdoors, but its indoor dining is still closed for refusal to comply with the health order.
In the wake of the forced closure, In-N-Out Burger’s Chief Legal and Business Officer Arnie Wensinger slammed the order as discriminatory, underscoring that the company, headed by 39-year-old Lynsi Snyder, refuses to become “the vaccination police for any government.”
“Our store properly and clearly posted signage to communicate local vaccination requirements,” Wensinger explained in a statement sent to Fox News. “After closing our restaurant, local regulators informed us that our restaurant Associates must actively intervene by demanding proof of vaccination and photo identification from every Customer, then act as enforcement personnel by barring entry for any Customers without the proper documentation.”
“‘We refuse to become the vaccination police for any government,” said Wensinger, adding that the San Francisco Department of Health’s requirements are “unreasonable, invasive, and unsafe.”
“We fiercely disagree with any government dictate that forces a private company to discriminate against customers who choose to patronize their business,” the statement continued.
“This is clear governmental overreach and is intrusive, improper, and offensive,” Wensinger blasted.
Snyder, serving as CEO of the restaurant chain, has been open about her Christian beliefs.
During a rare interview in 2019 with the Christian Post, Snyder talked about her faith and how it’s incorporated into the company — first by her family, and now by her.
“I’ve been the one to hurt, and I’ve been hurt,” Snyder, 39 revealed to the Christian Post in 2019. She described a past marriage as abusive.
“I have gained insight and growth through both sides of the coin,” she said, emphasizing “her method of seeking ‘healing time with Jesus’ before embarking on new relationships,” according to Fox News.
Snyder lost her father back in 1999 when she was just 17 years old. She said she dealt with the tragedy poorly, abusing drugs and alcohol. She credited her Christian faith for helping her get clean.
“I finally found that the deep need in my heart can only be filled by Jesus and my identity in Him,” she said.
Keeping tradition with past family owners of In-N-Out Burger, Snyder has “John 3:16” on the bottom of the company’s soft drink cups. Fox News reported:
“It’s a family business and will always be, and that’s a family touch,” she said, explaining that it was actually her idea to put other verses (Proverbs 24:16 and Luke 6:35) to the fry containers and hot beverage cups.