In-N-Out’s moving in

Karen S. Kim

Residents and business owners will have a chance today to weigh in

on how they’d like their In-N-Out burger ... to look, that is.

The Redevelopment Agency will hold a public hearing at 2:30 p.m.

today to consider approving designs for a new In-N-Out at 119 S.

Brand Blvd.

The new hamburger joint will replace the shuttered New Delhi

Palace Indian Restaurant adjacent to Mervyn’s department store,

property owned by the Glendale Galleria.

“There’s a heavy daytime population there,” In-N-Out Director of

Real Estate Fred Encinas said Monday. “There’s also a lot of

nighttime business that comes in that area. Glendale is such a great

place because it draws from such a large trade area.”

The famous burger company joined the Glendale neighborhood less

than a year ago, on Nov. 15, 2001, at 310 Harvey Drive. But unlike

its traditional shop on Harvey, In-N-Out is going to try something a

little different for Brand Boulevard, Encinas said.

The restaurant will be a “walk-up” eatery with no drive-through.

Similar types of joints are at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco and

in Placentia.

“We’re thinking there’s enough population that would rather walk

over and sit in a restaurant,” Encinas said. “What I’m thinking is

that, more than likely, it’s going to be hard for people in their

offices to get in the car, drive over, drive through, go back, park

the car, go upstairs and eat their food.”

Today, In-N-Out will ask the Redevelopment Agency to approve the

designs for its 5,000-square-foot shop. The average In-N-Out is only

3,200 square feet, Encinas said.

Designs will include large storefront windows on Brand Boulevard,

122 seats and two marquee In-N-Out neon arrow signs. The signs will

require a variance, since city codes allow for only one sign.

“We have no drive-through, so there’s a lot of risk involved

there. We’re not on the corner, so there’s got to be some way we have

to let people know that we’re there,” Encinas said.

In-N-Out will most likely be completed between March and June

2003, Encinas said.

Leslyn Ray, president of the Downtown Glendale Merchants Assn.,

said the new In-N-Out will be a boon to its downtown neighbors.

“In-N-Out has name recognition,” she said. “When you have name

recognition, it tends to pull people in.”

Ray said some local hamburger joints might be disappointed to see

a well-known hamburger vendor like In-N-Out move into the

neighborhood, but “I think it will be a healthy competition.”

The manager of Hamburger Central, a popular burger shop two blocks

west of the proposed In-N-Out, said she isn’t worried about

competing.

“In-N-Out is go in and get out,” Manager Griselda Maravilla said.

“Our restaurant is like a sit-down fast-food place. The customers we

have daily, they come in every day, and they always bring more people

in.”

Today’s public hearing is in the council chambers, 613 E.

Broadway.