Oakland Taco Bell locations closed their indoor dining facilities due to rampant crime that is sweeping California cities. Restaurants were subjected to frequent robberies and decided the best move was to lock their doors to the public.
Four of the city’s five Taco Bell locations now sport signs announcing, “DINING ROOM CLOSED.” They are limited to only serving customers who utilize the drive-thru.
The lone remaining restaurant still open for indoor dining is only accepting contactless payment — also to ward off crime.
Hopes for a family meal at the popular restaurants are now dashed by the reality of exploding crime — a reality that Democratic leaders continue to ignore.
Leftists and their media allies are busy trotting out cherry-picked statistics to show that crime is down across the nation. But tell that to Oakland residents who, on top of watching businesses flee the city, are now locked out of Taco Bell.
Such is the fate of residents in many Democrat-led cities in the U.S.
NEW: Taco Bell is closing down indoor dining at their Oakland, California locations due to rising crime.
Oakland is a good example of what is coming to all liberal cities.
One Taco Bell employee in Oakland said the dining rooms were now closed because "some people… pic.twitter.com/kOUqpynVmA
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 12, 2024
Oakland in particular is a left-wing experiment gone wrong. Police records show that robberies surged 38% in 2023, with burglaries up 23% from the year before and motor vehicle thefts climbing 44%.
Several city restaurants just in the past few months announced they are either closing entirely or significantly reducing services. And the causes are the same as they cite worries over staff and customer safety.
Taco Bell released a statement to Newsweek asserting that safety is the company’s priority. They explained that the franchise owner evaluated the working environment and took steps such as closing dining rooms and hiring security guards.
Franchise operators are meeting with local law enforcement to go over steps to enhance safety.
The Oakland Police Department likewise responded to the outlet. It noted that meetings have been held “with the Taco Bell corporate teams on safety strategies.”
Officials stressed that patrols in the areas surrounding the fast food restaurants have been stepped up.
Among restaurants calling it quits were a pair in January. An In-N-Out Burger cited an “unsafe environment” for its decision to close up shop. And a landmark Denny’s location that stood for 54 years closed after a rash of violent crimes against staff and customers.
