A state that was once known for its iconic businesses is now known for overreaching governments that restrict growth for whatever reason is in vogue at the time. If a company as beloved as In-N-Out has met its match when opening a simple drive-through restaurant, that doesn’t bode well for other businesses trying to succeed in California.
California, renowned for its car culture, is known as the “birthplace for some of the world’s most iconic” drive-through restaurants, according to the Visit California tourism organization. Jack in the Box’s original creepy clown mascot is on display at the esteemed San Diego History Center, and the first-ever McDonald’s has even been turned into a museum in San Bernardino.
But a new location of the state’s most beloved drive-through restaurant chain, In-N-Out Burger, is being blocked by activist neighbors and misguided local rules. The company proposed a large new restaurant at a major thoroughfare in Culver City in February, prompting the Los Angeles-adjacent municipality’s council to adopt a 45-day moratorium on new drive-throughs in June and then vote 4-0 in July to extend the ban for more than 10 months.
Nothing contained in this blog is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Pacific Research Institute or as an attempt to thwart or aid the passage of any legislation.
A new In-N-Out branch is running into an absurd roadblock
Steven Greenhut
A state that was once known for its iconic businesses is now known for overreaching governments that restrict growth for whatever reason is in vogue at the time. If a company as beloved as In-N-Out has met its match when opening a simple drive-through restaurant, that doesn’t bode well for other businesses trying to succeed in California.
California, renowned for its car culture, is known as the “birthplace for some of the world’s most iconic” drive-through restaurants, according to the Visit California tourism organization. Jack in the Box’s original creepy clown mascot is on display at the esteemed San Diego History Center, and the first-ever McDonald’s has even been turned into a museum in San Bernardino.
But a new location of the state’s most beloved drive-through restaurant chain, In-N-Out Burger, is being blocked by activist neighbors and misguided local rules. The company proposed a large new restaurant at a major thoroughfare in Culver City in February, prompting the Los Angeles-adjacent municipality’s council to adopt a 45-day moratorium on new drive-throughs in June and then vote 4-0 in July to extend the ban for more than 10 months.
Read the op-ed here.
Nothing contained in this blog is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Pacific Research Institute or as an attempt to thwart or aid the passage of any legislation.