In-N-Out Burger, a California-based fast food chain, purchased a $3.3 million property in Tualatin, Oregon in September according to the Portland Business Journal. More recently, In-N-Out Burger has been looking into locations in the Beaverton and Hillsboro areas. The three locations would mark the chain’s introduction into the Portland metro area.
Currently, the nearest In-N-Out Burger is in Keizer, Oregon which is around a 45-minute drive from Lewis & Clark. An LC student hoping to grab a classic burger and fries would have to drive to the location, as there are no Trimet routes to the location.
For LC students from California, having In-N-Out Burger in the area would mean a taste of home. Fiona Salbato ’24, a student from San Diego, said she would visit an In-N-Out Burger in the Portland area.
“I mean, I don’t see why not.” Salbato said. “I could never say no to some fries.”
Natalie Kirunda ’24 is looking forward to the convenience of a closer location.
“I would be interested in getting In-N-Out,” Kirunda said. “Unfortunately, I don’t have a car and I don’t want to take the Pio for an hour.”
However, with transportation Kirunda would “absolutely” go to an In-N-Out Burger 20 minutes away, but not 45 minutes away in Keizer.
In Tualatin, Beaverton and Hillsboro, In-N-Out Burger representatives hosted community meetings where residents could voice their thoughts and concerns. Community meetings are standard procedure for all large businesses before submitting land use applications to the city.
The franchise had been interested in the Tualatin area for over a year, before finally purchasing the property in early September 2021. The location is across the road from Bridgeport Village, off of Interstate 5.
As for the Hillsboro location, In-N-Out Burger has yet to move forward with purchasing a property. The potential location is Northeast Evergreen Parkway just east of Northwest 185th Avenue, and a land use application was filed with the city in April 2021. In September, the chain’s assistant vice president of real estate and development Mike Abbate responded to questions from the Oregonian regarding potential Portland metro locations.
“While we are exploring an opportunity in Hillsboro and others throughout the Portland metro area, it is too early to forecast any specific outcome within those trade areas, as well,” Abbate said.
In May, Pamplin Media Group reached out to In-N-Out Burger for a statement regarding the Beaverton location and the potential issues it may cause. Vice President of Real Estate and Development for In-N-Out Burger Carl Arena said that the neighborhood meetings are intended to address such concerns.
“All attendees at these meetings were provided an email address to send their questions/comments specifically related to our project and advised that their comments would be compiled and sent to the county as official public comments,” Arena said in a statement. “Being a good neighbor is very important to us at In-N-Out Burger, both at our current locations as well as at prospective restaurant sites.”
Not all residents are enthusiastic about the potential addition to their community. In a statement to Willamette Week, Tualatin mayor Frank Bubenik spoke about his constituent’s worries. “The primary concern I have heard from residents is that of increased traffic congestion,” Bubenik said.
In Tualatin, complaints regarding traffic are common, since the location is near the intersection of Lower Boones Ferry Road and SW 72nd Avenue, which is typically congested. Many point to the long lines and traffic at the Keizer location as evidence of the issues that would come with the new location. Residents expressed their concerns in the comments of the Tualatin Life Facebook page.
“Putting one in Tualatin, an already extremely busy and rush hour traffic hot spot would be horrible,” one Tualatin resident commented.
Others, however, welcome the fast food restaurant, arguing that it will bring good food and business to the city.
“Yahoo! Great company, lots of jobs, and yummy food. A win win for Tualatin!!!” one Facebook user said.
For now, there is no clear timeline regarding when any of the locations are set to open. However, one thing is for sure: In-N-Out Burger is moving north.
Photograph by Adam Karp
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