Community Corner
In-N-Out Keeps Eye on Vintage Oaks
The company confirms that Vintage Oaks Shopping Center is another option while they decide to officially pull the plug on the proposed Ignacio location.
In-N-Out Burger has confirmed to Novato Patch that the is on the short list of potential locations for a new burger spot.
Carl Van Fleet, the company's director of planning & development, said in an email that it's too early in the process to go into specifics. "We do hope to be in Novato in the not-too-distant future," he wrote.
Fans of the burger joint have been following the story with mouth-watering anticipation for In-N-Out burgers ever since the company first announced it was looking at a .
Find out what's happening in Novatowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The first sites to receive a serious look from the company were two neighboring properties, a former Jiffy Lube and a garden center, situated at Enfrente Drive and Entrada Drive in Ignacio. Some residents of the area were primarily because of the traffic and late-night noise. In May 2012, the company let that property fall out of escrow, citing challenges with the soil on the site.
Stephen Marshall, a senior city planner, said he was notified last week that the company plans to formally withdraw its application for the location in Ignacio. Marshall said In-N-Out continues to express interest in finding a Novato site but hasn't sent in an application for a new location.
Find out what's happening in Novatowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
had more than 300 votes cast with 121 voters in favor of a Vintage Oaks location. Redwood Boulevard received 87 votes and Ignacio came in with 37 votes. The poll has been added to this story.
The , in the planning stages just south of Vintage Oaks, received a scant 16 votes from a hungry and opinionated public. The city-approved project, which will include a hotel, restaurants and retail stores is slated to be built just beyond Costco with access via Rowland Boulevard and Vintage Way. Opponents of the Hanna Ranch project often predicted increased traffic on those roads, and an In-N-Out at Vintage Oaks could also impact traffic.
In-N-Out prefers high-visibility locations and looks for “dynamic, high activity areas near retail mass, freeway locations, major intersections and commercial shopping center pads.” It also likes “easy ingress/egress, ability to use our 'classic' image.”
Bottom line: All the In-N-Outs that I’ve ever stopped at are next to the freeway where you can spot the signage or smell the burgers, requiring you to immediately to pull over and get in the drive-through line. "I'll have a No. 1 and be eating in the car."
