In-N-Out Burger Coming To Salem Area

SALEM, OR — This is not a drill (and it's definitely not a hoax this time): In-N-Out Burger is coming to Keizer Station. After months of speculation, hopes, wishes, and dreams, Keizer Mayor Cathy Clark on Tuesday made the much anticipated announcement through Salem's Statesman Journal newspaper.

Southern Oregon residents around Medford and Grants Pass have been enjoying Double-Doubles, 4X4s and Animal Style Burgers since 2015 and 2017, respectively, and now residents in the Northern Willamette Valley can get in on the hype without taking an hours-long drive.

While no date has been set for the restaurant's opening, an In-N-Out representative on Monday attended a Keizer City Council meeting to discuss whether the city could change its sign code to allow for In-N-Out's awnings. With the council ultimately agreeing to make the change, which could also benefit other Keizer businesses, the process of bringing In-N-Out closer to the most populated portion of the state is underway.

In February, Patch reported the appearance of a sign placed on a Salem building purportedly promising a new In-N-Out in Salem by June 2018. The sign, In-N-Out officials confirmed, was not placed by them — but they admitted they had been scouting the Salem area as a potential new franchise location.

"We have looked at and evaluated a few sites in Salem and the surrounding area, but we are still in the very early stages of development and are not yet ready to move forward with a particular location," In-N-Out Vice President of Operations Denny Warnick told The Statesman Journal in February. "We do believe that the Salem area is a great community and we do hope to be there in the future, but, at this time, it is far too early to comment on a specific location or any kind of timeline."

Whether the whole ordeal in February was actually a brilliant marketing ploy to gauge true interest is unknown; but for those who were jaded by the hoax, Tuesday's news comes as a kind of redemption.

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Fans of the popular California-based burger franchise, including members of the Keizer City Council, took to social media Tuesday morning to share their joy and excitement:

The drive from Portland to Keizer, which is located directly north of Salem, takes just under an hour on Interstate-5.

Images via David Allen, Katie Kausch/Patch