Fast Food Icon In-N-Out’s New Keizer Location Opens This Thursday

The time has finally come: After 16 months of waiting, In-N-Out’s first Willamette Valley location will open Thursday, December 12, KOIN reports. The restaurant, located in the small city of Keizer near Salem, will be the closest to Portland yet, less than 40 miles south.

In-N-Out Burger, a California-based burger chain known for its “animal style” cheeseburgers, has developed a cultish following among chefs and the general public. There are currently only two In-N-Out burgers in the state — one in Grants Pass, and the other in nearby Medford — and it takes about four hours to drive to the nearest location.

When the news of the new location broke, people from Eugene to Vancouver began to celebrate — though concerns already began to rise within the local community. Keizer, a town of 39,000, already accumulates holiday crowds at its large shopping center, Keizer Station; the prospect of a gargantuan mass of customers flooding an already-busy shopping center daunted locals. City officials are anticipating 160-to-180-car lines on opening day, with about two-hour waits. To accommodate the anticipated crowds, signs will direct the growing lines to Volcano Baseball Stadium as opposed to the nearby Target parking lot. Keizer police has even provided two off-duty officers to work security on the day, and ODOT will monitor the Keizer Station exit to avoid backups on I-5.

The new In-N-Out will be located at 6280 Keizer Station Blvd. The actual opening time has yet to be announced, but really dedicated fans will likely start showing up the day before. The rest of the city may just stick to a burger from the bar on the corner.

• In-N-Out [Official]
• Keizer In-N-Out Burger opening Thursday [KOIN]
• In-N-Out customers could face 2-hour wait at new Keizer location; traffic plans approved [O]
• Traffic plans approved for Keizer’s In-N-Out [KATU]
• In-N-Out Burger coming to Keizer Station, mayor says [Statesman Journal]
• Burger Behemoth In-N-Out Breaks Ground in Keizer Next Month [EPDX]
• 21 Chefs on What They Order at In-N-Out [Eater]