Oakland’s only In-N-Out will serve its last double-double on March 24 after more than 18 years in operation at 8300 Oakport Street, the burger restaurant’s chief operating officer Denny Warnick confirmed with SFGATE in an emailed statement Sunday. 

Warnick described the store as “busy and profitable” for the company, and drive-thru lines during the dinner rush often stretched all the way out into neighboring parking lots. However, he cited “ongoing issues with crime” as the reason for the closure.

“Despite taking repeated steps to create safer conditions, our Customers and Associates are regularly victimized by car break-ins, property damage, theft, and armed robberies,” Warnick wrote in the statement, which was first reported by KGO. “…Our top priority must be the safety and well-being of our Customers and Associates – we cannot ask them to visit or work in an unsafe environment.”

The restaurant is just over two miles away from Oakland International Airport, where rental car companies have recently cautioned customers returning vehicles to watch their belongings and avoid filling up on gas at stations in the immediate vicinity. Last week, Oakland police told SFGATE that 271 auto burglaries occurred at the Shell gas station on 285 Hegenberger Road in 2023 along with 15 robberies and five instances of vehicle theft.

Security guards for Allied Universal and Brosnan Risk Consultants also recently told the San Francisco Standard that they had taken more theft reports at In-N-Out than at any other location they patrol, seeing as many as five break-ins there per day. Sandwich boards stationed near the front doors of the popular burger chain warned customers not to leave valuables in their cars and to lock their vehicles. 

The news will likely come as a major disappointment to loyalists of the fast food chain. In-N-Out was recently ranked among one of America’s best large companies to work at by job review site Glassdoor, and was the only fast food company in the top 10 list, beating out tech titans like Google and Apple. 

Warnick said he “recognize[d] that this closure negatively impacts our associates and their families,” and that all affected employees would have the opportunity to transfer to a nearby In-N-Out location. Other outposts in the Bay Area are in Alameda, San Francisco, Daly City, San Leandro, Pleasanton, Union City and San Ramon. 

SFGATE news reporter Madilynne Medina contributed to this report.