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Multiple Taco Bell locations in Oakland have closed their dining rooms because of safety concerns in the California city, which has been struggling with rising crime affecting businesses both big and small.
Taco Bell said in a statement that “providing a safe environment for team members and customers is the priority” and that the decision was made by the restaurants’ franchisee owner, Diversified Restaurant Group.
statement.
The Daily Mail first reported the dining room closures last week.
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.
Problems pervade
In two weeks, the only In-N-Out in Oakland is set to close, becoming the first-time ever the iconic burger chain permanently closed a location. It also cited crime as the reason.
A Denny’s recently closed its only location in Oakland after more than 54 years, citing public safety concerns. Raising Cane’s near the airport also closed its dining room last year.
Crime rates vary from city to city. Nationally, violent crime fell 8.2% in 2023 for the second straight year after a rise in 2021, according to the FBI.
This is pretty crazy. Crime is so bad Taco Bell has become drive thru only in some Oakland locations.
Oakland sounds rough and makes you wonder what happened?
