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This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

Food

The Longest In-N-Out Drive-Thru Lines

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Sometimes your craving for In-N-Out's double-cheeseburger and animal style fries is so strong, so fervent, that you'll be willing to wait half an hour (even an hour!) in the drive-thru line for it. FoodBeast put together a list of In-N-Out spots that have the longest lines from Google Maps' satellite images and we had some local joints that made the cut.

The Irvine, Redondo Beach, Huntington Beach, Glendale and Pasadena locations made the top eleven list. Out-of-state locations Las Vegas, NV and Dallas, TX made the list, as well as Daly City, Auburn and Pinole in NorCal.

Over 65 years, the family-run Baldwin Park burger restaurant has expanded into 295 locations throughout California, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and Texas. And most amusing is the fact that In-N-Out's birthplace, the city of Baldwin Park, banned new drive-thru restaurants in 2010 to shed its fatty stereotypes as being a fast food hub. Plus, the residents there were getting tired of all the long lines spilling into the streets and causing traffic. Sound familiar?

Long lines are an important part of the In-N-Out may business model. Real estate blogger Brigham Yen asked the burger chain why they wouldn't open a location up in downtown. Turns out, they have some strict requirements: they said they'd need an acre of land with at least 45 surface parking spots and a drive-thru lane with enough space for 15 cars.

However, the award for the In-N-Out with the longest line surely has to go to the one in Texas on its opening day:

Related:
Why In-N-Out Burger Won't Be Coming To Downtown

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