“Trouble” SF Jack in the Box Open Late Again

Burgers and fries are on until early in the morning again in the Richmond District of San Francisco.

A Jack in the Box fast food restaurant has the green light to operate until 4 a.m. from city officials at the Entertainment Commission, despite neighborhood opposition and tales of late-night violent and crime at the Geary Boulevard burger joint.

The burger joint was operating 24 hours a day without a city permit before a nasty Thanksgiving Day fight drew attention to the situation, according to the San Francisco Examiner. An off-duty firefighter was run over by a car driven by a South City man after the two got into a fight at the burger joint, which is a popular stop for the Inner Richmond bar crowd following last call.

Entertainment Commission members said the burger joint should remain open past 2 a.m. in order to accomodate drinkers. "It helps people not be as drunk," said commissioner Audrey Joseph, according to the newspaper.

The Jack in the Box location had been operating 24 hours a day "for decades" prior to the Thanksgiving Day vehicular assault, which occurred at a nearby gas station, a restaurant liasion told the newspaper.

"We’re not a bar, we’re not a club and we don’t serve alcohol," Jennifer Cunanan told the newspaper. "And there is no correlation between the police data and our business."