In-N-Out bans employees from wearing masks.Photo:Chin Hei Leung / SOPA Images/Sipa USA via AP Images
Chin Hei Leung / SOPA Images/Sipa USA via AP Images
In-N-Out Burgeris now banning employees from wearing masks while on the clock.
An internalemail that leaked on Twitteron July 14 revealed that the burger chain will no longer allow employees to wear masks at locations in Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Texas and Utah. The memo cited “the importance of customer service and the ability to show our Associates’ smiles” as the reason for the ban.
The new mask policy, which will be implemented in August, will require a doctor’s note for employees who chose to wear a mask. In those cases, employees must wear a company-distributed N-95 mask.
If employees do not comply with the new rule, they’ll be subject to disciplinary action, which could include termination of their role, according to the email.
In-N-Out Burger did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, but a company customer service representative confirmed the policy to theNew York Times.
In-N-Out bans employees from wearing masks.Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty
Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty
Customers have expressed outrage across social media, includingAnd Just Like ThatstarEvan Handler. “This is disgusting. I hope all businesses prohibiting employees from protecting their own health are held liable when illnesses result,“he tweeted,
One Twitter user wrote “shame on you,” while another said, “So the ‘essential’ workers who bore the brunt of #COVID19 sickness - line chef was job that had highest risk - are now being told to just smile through it.”
Back in 2021, In-N-Out faced criticism in regards to another COVID-19 safety measure. The company refused to comply with local COVID-19 vaccine mandates at some of its locations.
In-N-Out Burger is banning employees from wearing masks.Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty
Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty
In a statement to PEOPLE at the time, Arnie Wensinger, In-N-Out’s chief legal and business officer, reflected on the company’s responsibilities and said, “We refuse to become the vaccination police for any government.”
“It is unreasonable, invasive, and unsafe to force our restaurant associates to segregate customers into those who may be served and those who may not, whether based on the documentation they carry, or any other reason,” he continued.
“We fiercely disagree with any government dictate that forces a private company to discriminate against customers who choose to patronize their business,” Wensinger added. “This is clear governmental overreach and is intrusive, improper and offensive.”
In a statement given to theWashington Postfrom the city’s Health Department at the time, the organization countered what Wensinger said, noting, “Vaccines remain our best tool to fight this disease and come out of the pandemic. Vaccination is particularly important in a public indoor setting where groups of people are gathering and removing their masks, factors that make it easier for the virus to spread.”
source: people.com
