Downtown Jack in the Box Drenches Passersby with Sprinklers in Anti-Loitering Campaign; Corporate Says Audio 'Not Approved'

A downtown San Diego Jack in the Box has been dousing passersby with automated sprinklers and playing a recorded message telling loiterers to "buy something or bounce," drawing complaints from customers and homeless residents — and prompting corporate headquarters to disavow the audio recording.

ABC 10News reporter Michael Chen was standing outside the C Street restaurant on Friday when water began pouring down just feet from where he was standing, accompanied by a 25-second recorded announcement.

"Attention loiterers," the recording begins, according to Chen's report. "You are blocking the drive-thru … Buy something or bounce. The clown is watching … Move. Now. Jack says so."

The "clown" is an apparent reference to the chain's original mascot character.

Neighbors told the station that homeless people do gather near the restaurant. The sprinkler system was reportedly installed last week, running at three locations around the building with intervals of several minutes between each spray cycle.

A homeless man identified as Estap told the station he was sitting down when the water came pouring down on him. "Sitting down closing my eye and got drenched," he said.

Brandi James said she was caught in the spray after leaving the restaurant with a breakfast sandwich. "I went in to get a breakfast sandwich. I came out and had my electric bike on the steps. There was water coming down, sprinkling all over me and my bike," James told ABC 10News, adding that the soaking damaged her bike.

Donica McArthur, who is not homeless, said she was also drenched and felt the system activated without regard for who was nearby.

In a statement provided to ABC 10News, a Jack in the Box spokesperson said the audio recording "does not reflect Jack in the Box's brand standards or values and was not approved by Jack in the Box" and that it "has been immediately disabled."

The spokesperson characterized the water system as "a ground-surface cleaning mechanism that automatically cleans the ground area in between routine pressure washing" and said it "is not positioned to interfere with guests or passers by."

"We recognize the importance of treating everyone in the communities we serve, including people experiencing homelessness, with dignity and respect," the statement continued. "Our goal is to support measures that keep the neighborhood peaceful, the restaurant clean and safe, and our guests and employees comfortable."

The C Street Jack in the Box sits in the heart of downtown's Core-Columbia district, an area that has seen ongoing tensions between businesses, residents, and the city's homeless population. City officials have not commented on the sprinkler system.