As this school year got underway, the Carmel Mountain In-N-Out staff were overwhelmed with crowds of teenagers swarming the restaurant, vandalizing the furniture, and stealing food. Police were called as a nearly nightly occurrence, as students from all over PUSD used In-N-Out as a hangout spot rather than a restaurant.
Austin Barker (12) was one of the many students who witnessed the chaos every weekend.
“One night I was at In-N-Out and I saw people standing on the counter where they serve food, holding a speaker,” Barker said. “There was basically a mosh pit with everyone jumping to the music.”
Feeling the need for a solution to avoid constant police patrolling, In-N-Out management decided to hire a security guard.
When George Santana-Luis applied for his security patrolling position in November, he was completely unaware of what the position entailed.
Prior to his In-N-Out position, Santana-Luis worked for a private clearance facility, giving him security experience. Getting hired at In-N-Out was not what he expected his new occupation to be.
“They didn’t tell me where I was going to be located,” Santana-Luis said. “I knew it would be a restaurant, and when I looked up the address, I found out it was at In-N-Out.”
Five nights a week, Santana-Luis stands outside of the In-N-Out, monitoring the crowds of people. Though a tedious job, Santana-Luis said he has found enjoyment through his endless hours of standing.
“When I’m patrolling the restaurant, I get to interact with the different people,” Santana-Luis said.
Amidst these conversations, he has formed connections with high schoolers, relating to their similar high-school experiences.
“Talking to the high schoolers has given me a lot of flashback memories to when I was their age,” Santana-Luis said.
Throughout his few months at In-N-Out, Santana-Luis has become especially close with Barker.
“I was at In-N-Out one night when it was pretty empty, and [Santana-Luis] saw me playing Clash Royale,” Barker said. “We started talking about the game and how many trophies we had and formed a connection over the game.”
Being able to bond with the students has been one of Santana-Luis’s favorite parts of the job, and it comes naturally to him.
“Trying to cooperate with the high schoolers takes a lot of patience, especially with how rowdy they get, but my personality has been able to carry me through it,” Santana-Luis said. “It’s easy to know how they think because I was once in their position.”
Since starting at In-N-Out, Santana-Luis hasn’t dealt with any physical fights or altercations, which used to be normal occurrences.
“It gets pretty crazy sometimes, but there haven’t been any fights I needed to break up,” Santana-Luis said. “The worst it gets is just large crowds.”
Because of his easy going personality, students find it easier to respect Santana-Luis, whereas orders from the In-N-Out employees were normally ignored.
“Having a personal connection with him, like our bond over Clash Royale, really makes me respect him more,” Barker said. “He’s a pretty cool guy, which is important because the students are more inclined to listen to him.”
