Oakland’s Taco Bell restaurants have closed their dining areas due to crime fears

Several Taco Bell locations in Oakland have closed their dining rooms due to safety concerns in a California city plagued by an increase in crime that affects both large and small businesses.

Taco Bell said in a statement that “providing a safe environment for team members and customers is the priority,” and the decision was made by the restaurant’s franchisee, Diversified Restaurant Group.

“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.

Diversified Restaurant Group owns approximately 300 Taco Bell and Arby’s locations, primarily in the Western United States. The company has not responded to CNN’s request for comment.

At least four Taco Bell locations in Oakland have closed their dining rooms, but their drive-thrus remain open. According to Taco Bell’s website, there are about six locations in the Oakland area.

CNN affiliate KPIX-TV visited a Taco Bell store that had been robbed four times in the past four months and found a sign informing customers it was closed. The restaurant’s windows still have plywood panels from the most recent robbery three weeks ago, when a robber drove a pickup truck through the window and stole a safe.

At one Oakland store, the dining room is still open, but cash is exempt to prevent robberies, KPIX-TV reported.

Stores in the area have also experienced property damage and frequent auto theft in addition to robberies.

Problems pervade

The single In-N-Out in Oakland is scheduled to close in two weeks, marking the first time the venerable burger brand has ever closed a shop permanently. It mentioned crime as the cause as well.

After more than 54 years, the lone Denny’s in Oakland has shuttered, citing concerns for public safety. The dining room at Raising Cane’s near the airport was likewise closed last year.

Crime rates vary from city to city. According to the FBI, violent crime nationwide decreased by 8.2% in 2023, the second year in a row, following an increase in 2021.

But crime is a big problem in Auckland, with robberies increasing by 38% last year. According to the police. Robbery increased by 23%. Vehicle thefts increased by 44%. About 1 in 30 Oakland residents had their car stolen last year, according to an analysis by the San Francisco Chronicle.

There is no easy answer to the question of why these crimes are increasing in Auckland. But the pandemic is having a major impact, some experts say.

“Pandemic-related changes in people’s daily activities and emotional and economic stress levels, changes in police practices and a rupture of public trust in law enforcement, and the suspension or reduction of social supports and programs are among the theories offered by crime scholars,” according to the Council on Criminal Justice study.

Last month, California Governor Gavin Newsom sent 120 California Highway Patrol troopers to Oakland and surrounding areas on a law enforcement raid. The goal is to combat crimes such as vehicle theft, retail theft, and violent crime.