San Francisco's lone In-N-Out closed after refusing to follow city's vaccine requirement

San Francisco was temporarily without an In-N-Out, after the Department of Public Health closed down the only location in the city over employees refusing to check customers for proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

Under the city's COVID-19 health order, people must show proof of vaccination to enter restaurants, bars, clubs, and gyms. The San Francisco Department of Public Health said it received a complaint in late September about the In-N-Out at Fisherman's Wharf violating the order, and the popular fast food spot was warned multiple times before it was temporarily shuttered for noncompliance on Thursday.

In-N-Out said the restaurant has since reopened, but indoor dining is unavailable. Arnie Wensinger, the company's chief legal and business officer, said in a statement that In-N-Out refuses to "become the vaccination police for any government. It is unreasonable, invasive, and unsafe to force our restaurant associates to segregate customers into those who may be served and those who may not, whether based on the documentation they carry or any other reason."

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The Department of Public Health isn't backing down, with officials saying in a statement that vaccines "remain our best tool to fight this disease and come out of the pandemic. Vaccination is particularly important in a public indoor setting where groups of people are gathering and removing their masks, factors that make it easier for the virus to spread. That is why San Francisco requires proof of vaccination for indoor dining."