DeSantis, In-N-Out president speak after San Francisco closures over COVID policy
General view of the In-N-Out Burger on Sunset Blvd on October 21, 2021 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images via Getty Images)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has held a call with the president of In-N-Out Burger this week following a pitch from the Sunshine State’s chief financial officer to bring the popular restaurant chain there.
The call between DeSantis and Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson on Monday also comes after the city of San Francisco temporarily closed an In-N-Out restaurant in mid-October over the company’s refusal to force customers to prove they are vaccinated against the coronavirus to gain entry.
"Our store properly and clearly posted signage to communicate local vaccination requirements," In-N-Out Burger’s Chief Legal and Business Officer, Arnie Wensinger said in a statement to Fox News at the time. "After closing our restaurant, local regulators informed us that our restaurant Associates must actively intervene by demanding proof of vaccination and photo identification from every Customer, then act as enforcement personnel by barring entry for any Customers without the proper documentation."
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"We refuse to become the vaccination police for any government," Wensinger added, slamming the San Francisco Department of Health's requirements as "unreasonable, invasive, and unsafe" and accusing the city of asking restaurants to "segregate Customers" based on vaccine documentation.
Following that incident, Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis said "why wouldn’t In-N-Out want to come to the bastion of freedom that we call the State of Florida?"
Patronis also reportedly wrote a letter to In-N-Out as well.
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"I know how hard it is to turn a profit and make payroll on a good day, let alone when your own government is working to crush your business with absurd mandates. Once I heard the news of your shutdown for refusing to act as ‘vaccine police,’ I knew I had to reach out immediately," Patronis said.
Fox News' Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.