UPDATE: Pleasant Hill In-N-Out Reopens for Drive-Thru, Carryout After Health Department Shutdown
PLEASANT HILL (CBS SF) -- An East Bay In-N-Out Burger location reopened on Wednesday for carryout and drive-thru orders only, one day after Contra Costa County health officials shut it down for repeat violations of COVID-19 health orders.
KPIX reporter Justin Andrews was on scene at 570 Contra Costa Boulevard while the Pleasant Hill fast food joint prepared to open Wednesday morning. In-And-Out's district manager told Andrew the location is only open for drive-thru and take-out customers.
There was no word on when the location would be able to resume serving people indoors.
The change in operations came after the county shut down the restaurant for not complying with countywide, coronavirus-related health orders. Officials said that when they closed the eatery Tuesday it was "for creating a public health hazard by repeatedly violating a county health order intended to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission."
For months, the county has required restaurants and some other indoor establishments to verify the vaccine status of all customers who are 12 or older using their indoor spaces, officials said.
Authorities already fined the fast food restaurant multiple times for not verifying vaccine status for dine-in customers. The week before, the Contra Costa County Health Department told KPIX it had issued three citations to the restaurant, and this week another citation was issued, bringing the total in fines to $1,700. Until the shut down, employees remained defiant and continued to violate county COVID protocols.
"Despite repeated notices of violation and fine, this business continued to permit indoor dining on site without verifying the COVID-19 vaccination status or recent, negative test result of customers," said a press release from Contra Costa health officials sent Tuesday.
KPIX recently learned that In-And-Out locations in Pinole and San Roman were also fined. Also, last week, the San Francisco health officials shutdown an In-And-Out in Fisherman's Wharf for failing to check customers for proof of vaccination.
Andrews reached out to the company for a statement but heard no reply by press time. Previously it stated "We fiercely disagree with any government dictate that forces a private company to discriminate against customers who choose to patronize their business. This is clear governmental overreach and is intrusive, improper, and offensive."
