If you’ve been wanting to try a double-double with animal style fries to see what the hype is about, or if you’re a transplant from California that wants a taste of home, then you’re in luck. In-N-Out could soon open its first-ever location in the Evergreen State.
As exciting as it might sound to some, the savory taste of a cheeseburger lathered in signature spread dressing will still require quite a far drive south for many Washingtonians.
The California burger chain recently filed a development application with the city of Ridgefield, Washington for a site, but it has yet to be approved. Ridgefield is just 20 minutes north of Vancouver, and about 30 minutes north of Portland.
Mike Abbate, vice president of store development at In-N-Out, said in an official statement that it is still too early to give an exact timeline for when the burger restaurant would officially open.
“Once we do begin construction on a new location, it usually takes us 8 to 9 months to build the restaurant and open for business,” Abbate said. “Therefore, it would be premature to comment on a timeline for an opening date or when we will even achieve our development application approval.”
A Facebook post from the City of Ridgefield confirmed that the city received an application from In-N-Out for a location in the Union Ridge Town Center on Pioneer Street, just west of Interstate 5, around exit 14.
The Facebook post received a mix of comments from people sharing their excitement about an In-N-Out in their city, while others seemed to be concerned about the traffic that could come as a result of long drive-thru lines.
The city seemingly addressed some of the concerns in follow-up post and explained their plan to help prevent traffic congestion as well as their plan for the restaurant’s building design.
“Our permitting and engineering team has worked closely with In-N-Out to ensure they are not only creating enough queuing spaces to avoid backups onto roads, but also that the design of the building will be unique, high-quality and complementary to Ridgefield,” according to the Facebook post.
In-N-Out’s proposed restaurant in Ridgefield would be built near the Costco that is currently under construction and near other fast food restaurants in the town center, according to the diagram shared on the city’s Facebook.
The Ridgefield location would be In-N-Out’s fifth restaurant in the Pacific Northwest and the 418th location in the country.
Abbate told The News Tribune in an email through a spokesperson that there aren’t plans to open more locations in Washington at this time.
“We are hopeful about the possibility of opening a location in Ridgefield, Washington,” Abbate said. “While our development team is always reviewing opportunities for new restaurants in the areas where we do business, we aren’t planning for extensive growth in Washington at this time.”
