S.F. Residents Try to Stop Richmond Jack In The Box from Operating 24 Hours

By Erin Sherbert Tue., Jan. 3 2012 at 8:30 AM

Richmond District residents want to put Jack back in the box

Richmond District residents might like the calorie-loaded tacos at Jack in the Box, but they definitely care for the atmosphere inside the fast food joint.

As the RichmondSF blog points out, residents are circulating an online petition, asking the city's Entertainment Commission not to grant the restaurant a permit to operate 24 hours -- and they give rather good reasons why.

According to the petition:

This site has been a serious public nuisance in the neighborhood for decades. Garbage, noise, drunkenness, disorderly conduct and fights that occur after 2 a.m. use a disporportionate amount of our neighborhood police resources and have intimidated neighborhood residents. We the neighbors, businesses and residents call upon the Entertainment Commission to reject JIB's after-hour permit application.

Readers might recall that the Jack in the Box, located at 4649 Geary, is where 22-year-old Eduardo Shaparo Esquivel allegedly got into a fight with Albert Bartal, a 29-year-old Cal firefighter, on Thanksgiving Day. The two were seen arguing before Bartal left and walked to a nearby gas station. Esquivel allegedly followed Bartal with his car, then ran him over at the gas station. He drove off, leaving Bartal in critical condition.

Esquivel was later arrested and is being held with felony charges for mayhem, attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and assault with great bodily injury. Meanwhile, Bartal remains in the hospital, where he is clinging for life.

Upon closer look, city officials learned that this particular Jack in the Box did not have the proper permit to operate 24 hours. The city then forced the restaurant to close by 2 a.m. and apply for the proper permit. Now, Jack in the Box is headed to the Entertainment Commission on Jan. 10, where it will ask for permission to cater to the drunk, unruly crowds at all hours of the day.

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Tags:

Entertainment Commission, Geary Boulevard, Jack in the Box, Richmond District

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I'm surprise citizen residents are taking the initiative instead of grandstanding politicians like eric mar and former jackas$ mcgoldigger

njudah

More NIMBY nonsense. Maybe they should petition to shut down all the bars and restaurants and coffee shops in the area too, since they're also so "evil." Blaming one venue for all their problems shows these folks are just selfish, and they want to put a legitimate operation out of business for their own (unpublished) agenda

Facepalm

Greg, you make it sound like there couldn't possibly be a business that is run so poorly that it isn't a detriment to the surrounding neighborhood.

njudah

how many beers does Jack in the Box sell? Answer: ZEROhow many guns and knives does it sell? Answer: ZEROhow many ads do they have saying "Hey Criminals! Party here!"? Answer: ZERO

how many bars exist within a few blocks of this place? Answer: A lot

If there is drunk and disorderly conduct, it isn't jack in the box's fault, it's the bars. Ergo, ban all the bars = no bad conduct.

Obviously that's a draconian move. Here's the reality -in SF if you are caught Doing Something Bad, you are not likely to go to jail or serve much of a sentence. This is assuming you're caught at all. Also, there aren't many places open past 2am so of course you're going to have people congregate at the only food venue open at 2am. Solution? Let more places stay open late, and they won't all swarm the stupid J in the B.

Blaming Jack in the Box is not going to change anything. Just because the neighbor NIMBYS whine loudly to a City Hall that loves to pander to whiners, doesn't mean anything will change. Close it down and guess what? someone else will open something to replace it. Problem not solved, and the inherent causes of bad people's behavior not addressed

Typical fucking SF.