Jack-in-The-Box ordered to cease after-hour sales

by Paul Kozakiewicz

The Jack-in-The-Box restaurant at 11th Avenue and Geary Boulevard has been ordered to halt sales after 2 a.m. due to a lapsed permit.

The action came after a late-night incident at the restaurant in late November brought the lapsed permit to the attention of authorities.

On Thanksgiving Day, at about 2:45 a.m., Eduardo Chaparroesquivel and Albert Bartal got into an argument at the Jack in the Box. Bartal left the restaurant but was hit by a vehicle driven by the 22-year-old Chaparroesquivel two blocks away.

Bartal, 29, was injured badly and in a coma after the attack.

The incident was the latest in a long string of incidents at the restaurant after hours, neighbors say, so they have taken action to halt Jack-in-The-Box from remaining open after hours.

A representative at Jack-in-The-Box says most of its sales come after hours and they are seeking to renew their permit to stay open 24 hours. The restaurant is not open after hours, but it serves customers via a take-out window. It gets a lot of business after 2 a.m. because there are few, if any, businesses in the Richmond District open at that time.

The SF Entertainment Commission is slated to review Jack-in-The-Box's after-hours permit at its meeting in January.

David Lee, a member of the Richmond Advisory Committee, has created a petition drive and is gathering signatures to present to commissioners. It says: "We, the undersigned residents of San Francisco's Richmond District, strongly oppose the issuance of an after-hours permit to the Jack-in-The-Box ("JIB"), located at 4649 Geary Blvd. 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 disproportionate 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."

Lee is also urging residents to contact District 1 Supervisor Eric Mar to enlist his support and he wants them to show up at the Entertainment Commission to testify.

The Entertainment Commission will hear the Jack-in-The-Box appeal at its Jan. 10 meeting at City Hall, Room 400, at 6:30 p.m.