Fast food chain faces boycott for mask ban

Fast food chain In-N-Out Burger is facing calls for boycott after reportedly prohibiting employees at some locations from wearing masks.

In a missive posted to social media Friday, In-N-Out emphasized the importance of smiling and showing facial features when serving customers.

“We are introducing new mask guidelines that emphasize the importance of customer service and the ability to show our Associates smiles and other facial features while considering the health and wellbeing of all individuals,” began the memo.

While the company is banning masks for employees in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Texas and Utah, it is offering medical exemptions to employees who bring a doctor’s note saying they must wear a mask. Workers who receive a medical exemption must wear an N-95 mask provided by the company.

“No masks shall be worn in the Store or Support facility unless an Associate has a valid medical note exempting him or her from this requirement. Associates who wear masks for medical reasons must wear a company-provided N-95 mask. Note: A different type of mask may only be worn with a valid medical note exempting the Associate from the N-95 mask requirement.”

A meta-analysis published earlier this year by the Cochrane Institute — considered the “gold standard of evidence-based reviews” — concluded that surgical masks and even N95 or P2 respirators offer little protection against COVID-19, if at all. Researchers reviewed 78 global studies involving over 600,000 people. Significantly, the studies they looked at were randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies, which are considered to be high-quality research and the scientific optimum.

Nevertheless, employees who bring a doctor’s note saying mask-wearing is necessary will ostensibly be allowed to do so. The company also expressed its commitment to medical confidentiality.

“Associates who have a specific medical condition or health concern that requires them to wear a mask must provide a valid medical note to their Store Manager, Division Manager, Manager, or Human Resources. Without disclosing the medical diagnosis or confidential medical information, the medical note should clearly state the reason for the exemption and include the estimated duration, if applicable. 

“To the extent medical information is provided, it will be treated with strict confidentiality and handled in accordance with applicable privacy laws.”

The memo was angrily posted to Twitter by Dr. Lucky Tran, a self-described “global scientist” based at Cambridge University who lists “climate justice” as one of his interests. Tran, who eagerly supported mask and vaccine mandates, slammed In-N-Out’s decision for being “discriminatory” and asked his followers to flood the restaurant chain with complaints. Many of his followers reported doing so.

Other netizens piled on and called for a boycott of the chain.

“Please boycott In-N-Out. This is just plain mean,” wrote one, while another worried that employees would now “breathe Covid” on the food.

In-N-Out drew the ire of California authorities in 2021 when it refused to enforce the vaccine mandate. In October 2021, the company’s locations in San Francisco and Pleasant Hill were forced to temporarily shut down for not checking to see if customers were vaccinated.