Is In-N-Out’s battle the opening skirmish in a conflict over vaccine mandates?
SAN FRANCISCO — For a short time earlier this month, an In-N-Out at San Francisco’s famed Fisherman’s Wharf refused to add a new item to its iconic menu.
The city had ordered the burger spot, and all other local restaurants, to screen patrons’ COVID-19 vaccination status before allowing them to dine indoors. When inspectors found In-N-Out wasn’t doing that, they temporarily closed the location.
The fast-food chain publicly decried the action but took steps to reopen just a few days later.
But as more communities across California require proof of vaccination for many retailers and other public venues, the battle over enforcement of the new rules is just beginning to heat up. Next month, the city of Los Angeles will require that eateries, shopping malls and many other indoor venues check customers’ vaccination status.
Such mandates aim to slow the spread of COVID-19 both by reducing potential
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