photo: In-N-Out Burger in Pleasant Hill
Did you know? Way back in 2001, In-N-Out Burger had plans to build a 3,160 square foot restaurant with a drive-thru in the Clayton Valley Shopping Center on Ygnacio Valley Rd. in Concord?
Obviously, it didn’t work out. We believed due to traffic concerns in the area of Washington Blvd. and Clayton Rd.
A few years after the CV shopping center plans, In-N-Out also wanted to build a restaurant in a planned shopping center (that would have also included Wal-Mart) in North Concord, off Arnold Industrial (now where Lowe’s is located).
Obviously, that didn’t work out either.
QUESTION: What’s your favorite fast-food restaurant?
I believe you could call this ‘viewpoint discrimination, to say the least. Or perhaps religious discrimination since restaurants owned by (at least nominally) Christian families such as In n Out and Chick fil a face entirely higher barriers (insurmountable) when trying to open a restaurant in Concord. I love both of them.
Maybe,maybe not. Concord can be a really difficult city to build a restaurant from the ground up. Many have tried.
Bingo
@ Chuckie, it may be tempting to think the city is making it hard for In-n-Out because of the stridently Christian ownership, but then how do you explain Hobby Lobby? If my estimation is correct, they are even more strident. Personally, I’m ambivalent about In-n-Out, I eat there sometimes, but I am a HUGE FAN of their business practices. Their competitors are the other fast food burger joints. Yet they pay better, their product is better, and their service is better, and their prices are competitive. What’s not to like? Rather than thinking the only way to squeeze a profit is by scrimping on one or all of those, In-n-Out has decided to turn up the dial on all four, and let the customers line up with their money. They should be taught in business school.
” … stridently Christian …” Isn’t that an oxymoron? Isn’t everything about Christian belief NOT about strident?
… and in WC where the Black Angus was…
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@randy.
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The Black Angus property is not located within the city limit of Walnut Creek.
… 12A ooops – you’re right – thanks!
Traffic concerns. Yeah right. Yet they allowed Starbucks to be put in at the corner of Clayton and Treat. It creates a crap show there almost everyday do to the drive through backing up onto treat
Concord wont allow it.Its too good.It would put Mcdonalds,jack in the box and taco bell into layoffs and closures,meaning the employees would all leave Concord and maybe go back to their home country,and Concord wants as many bodies as it can get to spend spend spend,and pay all that sales tax and keep the city ofConcord on the same corrupt path they have always been on.They dont care about quality in Concord,only quantity it = $$$$$,quailty is less profitable they feel.Concord is all about packing as many people as they can in the city and ignoring any voice of reason.
In n Out is good but give me NATIONS any day.
Yep… Nation’s is A # 1
To me…
There is the Whopper and the Whopper Jr.
There is the Jumbo Jack and the Jack Jr.
In n Out is the Nation”s Jr….
The Habit Burger in Walnut Creek (2-locations) & in Concord…
They should have sold cannibus burgers.
I don’t eat fast food, I have too much respect for my cardiovascular system, and gastrointestinal tract.
I respect the In-N-Out & Chick-fil-A organizations because they respect their employees, their customers and themselves. However I patronize the Cadillac of fast food most often.
I would love to have an In-N-Out in my neighborhood!
I think that they have only expanded east into Texas. They would be a good fit here.
So, Zaxby’s or Chick fil a?
Either, but not often. But I do have a thing for Sonic breakfast burritos (and Tater Tots).
Chick fil A and KFC. Also does Panda Express count as fast food? Like them too.
Not too keen on In n Out as I don’t eat hamburgers.
There are plenty of empty lots on Pacheco Blvd.
That’d be a great place to promote business expansion.
I agree, That is a great idea, Prime location as well
Yes, I think I remember hearing about it. If I remember correctly, it was mentioned that they finally gave up opening in Concord but In-n-Out had better luck finding a location in San Ramon, so they went there instead.
Chipotle’s
Perhaps similar efforts and stories can be shared about the upcoming Olive Garden in Concord, when it comes true.
Hey, who doesn’t want such a fine corporate establishment of Italian food.
I would have to say Popeye’s, for fast food. Don’t go there anymore, as I am at the age (and weight/blood chemistry levels) where I need to severely limit that kind of food, but their dark meat mild chicken is unrivaled, to me.
Unless they bow to the liberal bias in Concord they’ll never be able to open an in-n-out. Heaven forbid a corporation believes in God
I don’t eat fast food very often. I have eaten at In-and-Out a few times, usually when I’m driving down to Pasadena to visit my daughter. They are okay, but I had expected more because so many people raved about them. I occasionally do eat at McDonald and also Burger King, but their service is slow, at least the one on Contra Costa Blvd. I used to like Carl Jr. they had a chicken sandwich that I really liked. I have never had Habit’s burger, but their vanilla shake is great, due to the high calorie contents I rarely indulge. Is Starbucks fast food? They have several things I like that are fairly healthy. If I don’t bring my lunch to work, I try to go to Subway instead of Mc Donalds etc. If I don’t feel like cooking at night, I go to Panda Express. So I guess my choice would be Starbucks, Subway and Panda Express.
Pup ‘n Taco
I remember when In- and Out was considering Clayton Valley Shopping Center. The center was undergoing a huge remodel then. I heard In-and -Out would require another entrance on the Ygnacio Valley Rd side to help with traffic, and the 2nd entrance was put in. Another deterrent was the distance from thru ways, and that couldn’t change. Most In-and-Outs are near thru ways. They would have located where the old Sizzler restaurant was but now there is a Pet store there.
It’s hard to understand how conquered could be so difficult for businesses to come to. Let’s face it the city is……well ….. not so nice anymore. Don’t get me wrong, my heart is still in Concord as I lived there most my life, but we finally had to ‘get out of Dodge’. It might be hard for many to understand but up until about the 90s conquered was a very desirable family community.
Neither In N Out or Walmart would pay the bribes required to do business with the planning commis and city council.