The opening of the new In-n-Out Burger in Ridgefield is getting close, construction has started on an east Vancouver location, and those of us who love In-n-Out Burger do not care if you call us crazy or even obsessive, as long as you don’t call us late for a Double-Double

Paul Valencia
Clark County Today

The lines will be crazy long.

It might take hours to be served when it first opens.

And yet, very few, if any, in that line will complain.

Those of us who know … know.

We don’t care.

We don’t care if you call us weird or obsessive.

I prefer loyal. Maybe Passionate.

You see, the food, while amazing and fresh, is only one part of this journey. The entirety of the In-n-Out Burger vibe is bliss.

The iconic sign. The palm trees. The simple, yet perfect menu. (And the not-so-secret menu.) The affordable prices. The incredible, friendly service. 

For those of us in the Northwest, that includes the long wait, the anticipation, the shared experience. Washington is about to get its first two In-n-Out Burger locations. The one in Ridgefield should open soon.

Can you believe we are in a two-hour-long drive-thru line? Yes, yes I can. And the family in the car right next to us? They are loving every minute of it, too.

Those of us who know … know.

Steve Mathis of Ridgefield runs Facebook fan pages for the In-n-Out Burger in Ridgefield and in Vancouver. Mathis is not affiliated with In-n-Out Burger. Just a huge fan. He uses photography and drone footage of construction to show the progress at each location. There are more than 14,000 fans for the Ridgefield page.

“I’m planning on being there the first day … and every day,” Mathis said. “I told my wife I would try not to eat there more than once a day.”

The In-n-Out Burger in Keizer, Ore., opened in 2019. In the opening months, it was not out of the question to wait more than two hours for service. Even today, at peak times, the drive-thru line can take 30 to 60 minutes. 

Why? It is the closest In-n-Out Burger to anyone in the Northwest who lives north of Keizer. 

It is roughly 60 miles from my house to Keizer. We’ve taken the drive, waited in line, many, many times. 

Which means when the Ridgefield In-n-Out Burger opens, it will be the closest In-n-Out Burger for all of Washington. Will people drive from Olympia, from Tacoma to Ridgefield for a burger? Maybe not for any burger, but for an In-n-Out Burger? Absolutely.

The long lines that have become famous in Keizer will be happening in Ridgefield. And not just for a few weeks. Months. Years, maybe?

The opening in Ridgefield will be met with great fanfare.There is no opening date, as of this writing. It is not unusual for In-n-Out Burger to announce the opening day just a few days in advance. Or a day. There might not be a warning.

Those of us who know … will be ready. 

That grand opening will also be met with backlash. There will be negative comments directed at the company as well as its loyal fanbase. There are those who say they will never wait in such a line for a cheeseburger. They will be bothered by all the attention. They will claim no “fast food” restaurant is worth all this fuss.

Those of us who know … won’t care.

And there are so many of us.

Mathis, 69, grew up in Southern California but he did not live in an In-n-Out family. He found In-n-Out Burger as an adult. He was hooked immediately.

He said there are four things that make In-n-Out Burger stand out from all the rest.

Quality.

Cleanliness.

Friendliness.

“When you’ve got those three things, and you’ve got the price, why would you go anywhere else?” he asked.

Clearly, we are not alone. 

After all, those lines in Keizer are still there, years later, for a reason.

Personally, I have never had a bad experience at an In-n-Out Burger. Never. The crew is always friendly. If Chick-fil-A is known for having the best, friendliest staff, In-n-Out has to be a close second. For me, they are tied. Just perfect service.

We also love fresh, never frozen food, and the affordable prices. Oh, and we even appreciate that from all the reports we hear, In-n-Out Burger treats its employees well.

Back to the lines … let’s compare.

Think about all the other big names that have come to our region through the years. Remember the buzz with Krispy Kreme? The lines were long, at first. Not so much anymore. I hope Krispy Kreme is doing well, but the buzz is gone.

How about Chick-fil-A? Still very popular, and still run by incredibly nice employees, but the line is no longer 60 minutes. 

I love that Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, which has a great origin story, is in Vancouver, too. There were long lines in its opening months. Sunday, it was still busy, but it was not a packed drive-thru line.

Yet, In-n-Out Burger in Ridgefield will have massive lines for months.

Because those of us who know … know.

Me? I became a fanatic with all my trips to California to watch the Raiders. Now the Raiders are in Las Vegas, and a brand new In-n-Out Burger has opened within an easy walk on one side of the stadium while an older In-n-Out Burger is walking distance the other way.

Also, it should be noted, the waits at those locations are not nearly as long. In-n-Out Burger in some places is like Starbucks in Seattle. Miss one, and there will be another in a block or two. 

Here’s a fun sidenote about our family’s history with In-n-Out Burger. We frequently visited the only In-n-Out Burger that closed its doors. Still profitable, the company said, but the location in Oakland was in the middle of a high crime area, with a risk to employees and guests. So that In-n-Out Burger was closed. I have a relative who is proud to say he was a victim of a crime there. He was inside the restaurant, eating his food, when thieves did a smash-and-grab on his rental car. He lost clothes and his backpack, but he got his double-double!

Our family has “saved” money on our Disneyland trips by taking a break from the park and eating at a nearby In-n-Out Burger. 

On our road trips to California, our family would make a stop in Redding, which was the closest In-n-Out Burger to the Northwest at the time. 

For us, In-n-Out Burger is a memory maker.

Speaking of the Redding location, Mathis has a great story. Years ago, his church in Vancouver organized an adventurous activity: A bus trip to Redding for the sole purpose of eating at In-n-Out Burger.

(In-n-Out Burger also is a faith-based organization. There are bible verses printed on the drink cups and packaging.)

Later, more restaurants opened in Medford and Grants Pass in Oregon. Each time a restaurant opens north of the latest one, that restaurant becomes THE closest location for so many. 

Ridgefield, your world is about to change.

For those who know … it will be an incredible change.

Soon enough, east Vancouver will get to experience this craze, as well. It is a 50-minute walk from my house to that location, just off of Mill Plain Blvd. near 136th Avenue. Yes, I verified.

Ridgefield will open first. (The Vancouver location just recently started construction.) 

By the way, it is almost as if In-n-Out Burger picked its spots just to make Mathis happy. He lives in Ridgefield and he works about a half-mile away from the east Vancouver location.

Mathis will be easy to spot at either location. He will be the one driving a car with the Washington license plate: 1ST – INO

My prediction: The Ridgefield location will have longer lines for a longer period of time. It is right off of Interstate 5 and will be the closest location to most of Washington and much of the Portland area, too. The east Vancouver location will be more than a mile from Interstate 205.  

Both, though, will be huge successes. 

Because so many of us who know understand that In-n-Out Burger is more than food on the go … it is, for us anyway, food that provides inner peace. It is burger bliss.

Crazy?

We know.

Oh, we know.

Note: Mathis has the two fan pages for Ridgefield and Vancouver on Facebook. He also has fun facts about In-n-Out Burger.

Ridgefield: https://www.facebook.com/groups/736548098623845

Vancouver: https://www.facebook.com/groups/512324788195234

Fun info: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569409036283