Taco Bell is closing dining room access and going cashless at multiple locations in Oakland, California, citing safety concerns.
“According to reports, four of the five Taco Bell’s in Oakland are now drive-thru only due to rising crime,” ABC 7 reports.
The restaurants also will not accept cash.
One city council member suggested bringing in the National Guard to safeguard businesses.
“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,” Taco Bell said in a statement.
WATCH:
NEW: Taco Bell locations in Oakland shut down indoor dining and go cashless due to lawlessness in California
One city council member suggests bringing in the National Guard to safeguard businesses pic.twitter.com/M94ZfuTFtT
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 12, 2024
CBS News reports:
Several locations of fast-food chain Taco Bell including restaurants on 35th Ave. and Hegenberger Rd. in Oakland have closed their indoor dining rooms. The drive-thru windows at the restaurants will remain open for customers to order food.
KPIX went to the location on 35th Ave. and and MacArthur Sunday evening and found signs confirming that the dining room at the location is currently closed.
The restaurant has been robbed four times since November. Plywood still covers the window from three weeks ago, when robbers used a pick-up truck and cable to steal a safe. Of the four robberies the store has endured in as many months, two of them occurred when the restaurant was open for business.
Kimberly Garibay, who works at the Metro Wireless store across the street, said the restaurant’s cash registers are not the only target.
“They just pull up out of nowhere and it’s not like they only rob the store. They rob everybody in there as well,” said Garibay. “So it’s not as safe as it used to be. There’s a lot of crime now.”
The change follows In-N-Out’s decision to close its restaurant near Oakland International Airport due to customer and employee safety concerns.
Taco Bell Takes Stand Against Crime in Oakland: Shuts Down Dining Rooms, Switches to Cashless Drive-Thru Service https://t.co/zDlFMTIC2B
— Matt Couch (@RealMattCouch) March 12, 2024
Per CNN:
Diversified Restaurant Group owns about 300 Taco Bell and Arby’s locations, predominately in the western US. The company didn’t return CNN’s request for comment.
At least four Taco Bell locations in Oakland have closed their dining rooms, however the drive-thru remains operational. According to Taco Bell’s website, it has about a half of dozen locations in the Oakland area.
CNN affiliate KPIX-TV visited a Taco Bell location that has been robbed four times in the past four months, finding signs notifying customers of the closure. The restaurant still has plywood on the windows from its most recent robbery three weeks ago, when robbers rammed a pickup truck through the window to steal a safe.
One Oakland location still has their dining room open but has gone cashless to discourage robberies, KPIX-TV reported.
In addition to robberies, frequent auto theft and property damage have been problems for stores operating in the area.
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