In case you needed another reason to love In-N-Out Burger, the fast-food chain recently announced a new policy banning employees from wearing masks at work.
The new policy, set to start on August 14, will apply to employees in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Texas, and Utah. Employees will be banned from covering their faces unless they have a medical note, according to a memo leaked on Friday. States exempted from this policy include California and Oregon.
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If employees choose to provide a medical note, they must specify the medical condition or health concern requiring them to mask up. If approved, the employee will need to wear a “a company-provided N-95 mask,” per the memo.
“Failure to comply with this policy,” the memo continued, “may result in appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment, based on the severity and frequency of the violation.”
The company implemented the new policy to enhance positive customer service by showing employees’ “smiles and other facial features while considering the health and well-being of all individuals.” This policy will also help “promote clear and effective communication” in stores.
California remains the strictest state in the country regarding masking violations, with Fox News Digital reporting in June that Alameda County residents will be required to wear masks in most public indoor settings, per the cited rise of Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations.
Back in 2021, In-N-Out was under heavy criticism after the company refused to check customer vaccination status upon entering its stores.
“We refuse to become the vaccination police for any government,” In-N-Out’s Chief Legal and Business Officer Arnie Wensinger said in a statement. “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.”
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