In 'N Out Looking at a location near Salem OR

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In 'N Out Looking at a location near Salem OR

Post by Brian Lutz »

https://komonews.com/news/local/in-n-ou ... -in-keizer

Not 100% certain yet, but If the location does open it would be their northernmost location, just outside of Salem OR and a possible precursor to an expansion into Portland and eventually Seattle. I suspect that when the first In 'N Out eventually opens its first location in Seattle it'll make the frenzy around the first Chick-Fil-A locations here pale in comparison.
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Re: In 'N Out Looking at a location near Salem OR

Post by SamSpade »

The Oregonian confirms that the chain is coming to Keizer (just north of Salem).

The downtown Salem sign earlier this year was apparently a (good) hoax.

The comments section claims they won't come into Portland because of Dea's in - n - out in Gresham but that seems kind of grasping at straws / local legend to me.

https://www.oregonlive.com/dining/index ... e_ste.html
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Re: In 'N Out Looking at a location near Salem OR

Post by Super S »

SamSpade wrote: August 22nd, 2018, 9:51 am The Oregonian confirms that the chain is coming to Keizer (just north of Salem).

The downtown Salem sign earlier this year was apparently a (good) hoax.

The comments section claims they won't come into Portland because of Dea's in - n - out in Gresham but that seems kind of grasping at straws / local legend to me.

https://www.oregonlive.com/dining/index ... e_ste.html
In Longview, WA, there was a small cafe (long-gone) called In & Out Cafe years ago (early-mid 1990s). If I remember correctly, the In-N-Out burger chain caught wind of this and, despite not having a location anywhere near Longview, WA, threatened a lawsuit if they didn't change their name. I think they did eventually change the name but shut down not long after. I get protecting a brand etc. but this wasn't even a burger place. I couldn't find an article about it, but the local paper has a history of only writing articles about businesses that advertise heavily with them, so that isn't surprising.
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Re: In 'N Out Looking at a location near Salem OR

Post by Brian Lutz »

https://www.king5.com/article/news/loca ... dC9DV6J2JI

The In-N-Out in Keizer is getting ready to open soon (no date has been announced, but it is currently expected to be some time this month) and planning is underway in anticipation of massive crowds, with as many as 200 people expected in the drive thru line at peak times. Drive Thru customers will stage at a nearby baseball stadium parking lot before being ushered over to the actual parking lot.
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Re: In 'N Out Looking at a location near Salem OR

Post by Brian Lutz »

https://komonews.com/news/local/in-n-ou ... f-patience

The restaurant is open now, and opening day crowds were ridiculous, with waits of several hours in both the drive-thru and dine in lines.
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Re: In 'N Out Looking at a location near Salem OR

Post by Super S »

Brian Lutz wrote: December 13th, 2019, 8:01 am https://komonews.com/news/local/in-n-ou ... f-patience

The restaurant is open now, and opening day crowds were ridiculous, with waits of several hours in both the drive-thru and dine in lines.
Once the newness wears off it will end up being another fast food place. Same thing happened when Krispy Kreme first came to the area, as well as Chick-Fil-A.

One thing that may hurt In-N-Out in the long run though is that there is a lot of anti-California sentiment as you head further north. A lot of people in the area blame California for skyrocketing housing prices among other things. Myself, I can't wait to try it after the crowds die down.
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Re: In 'N Out Looking at a location near Salem OR

Post by SamSpade »

Super S wrote: December 13th, 2019, 9:40 am
Brian Lutz wrote: December 13th, 2019, 8:01 am https://komonews.com/news/local/in-n-ou ... f-patience

The restaurant is open now, and opening day crowds were ridiculous, with waits of several hours in both the drive-thru and dine in lines.
...
Myself, I can't wait to try it after the crowds die down.
The Oregonian / OregonLive.com talked with a couple that "only" waited about 40 minutes on opening day. That doesn't seem too absurd. I still don't get the people ordering dozens and dozens of the burgers; you kind of wish the restaurant would place limits on ordering for the first few weeks.
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Re: In 'N Out Looking at a location near Salem OR

Post by storewanderer »

Super S wrote: December 13th, 2019, 9:40 am
Brian Lutz wrote: December 13th, 2019, 8:01 am https://komonews.com/news/local/in-n-ou ... f-patience

The restaurant is open now, and opening day crowds were ridiculous, with waits of several hours in both the drive-thru and dine in lines.
Once the newness wears off it will end up being another fast food place. Same thing happened when Krispy Kreme first came to the area, as well as Chick-Fil-A.

One thing that may hurt In-N-Out in the long run though is that there is a lot of anti-California sentiment as you head further north. A lot of people in the area blame California for skyrocketing housing prices among other things. Myself, I can't wait to try it after the crowds die down.
Though In N Out is a California chain, I don't think an anti-California sentiment in places they expand to will hurt them. Much of the anti-California sentiment comes from how things in that state have been going for the past 20 or so years. Of course, not everyone is unhappy with how things have gone in California for the past 20 years, but those who have an anti-California sentiment likely fit into that segment.

In N Out has not changed its business model at all over the past 40+ years. 40 years ago, California had a pretty universally positive reputation. Looking at In N Out, they simply do it better than the competition. Simple menu, fair prices, well run and well staffed locations, and pay employees wages well above market; they execute well and typically the customer experience in the location is very good. To me, In N Out is more of a reflection on a more positive time that has gone by in California.

With that said, I've gone to the Medford In N Out twice since it opened. The first time was a Saturday night in the spring and the place was pretty dead and I was surprised how slow business was. The next time was again a Saturday night, this time in the summer, and though the inside was pretty slow, the drive through line was snaking into the mall road. I later realized Medford in general is a really quite place in the evenings.
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Re: In 'N Out Looking at a location near Salem OR

Post by Brian Lutz »

One of my cousins who lives in Springfield made a trip to the Keizer In-N-Out yesterday with her kids. She reported that even under the current conditions there was still a 2 1/2 hour wait in the drive thru.
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