California city weighs drive-thru ban after In-N-Out proposal sparks debate
See what’s clicking on FoxBusiness.com.
A California city is on the verge of a drive-thru ban after some residents expressed concern that a proposed In-N-Out could harm air quality, worsen traffic and create safety issues for pedestrians and cyclists.
The City Council in Culver City, California, passed a 45-day ordinance last month to ban new vehicle passes while staff drafts a possible ban, according to LAist. This comes after a city subcommittee voted to recommend staff write the closure in May.
If the city council approves the ban, only new businesses will be affected.
The In-N-Out will be the first new drive-thru in Culver City since 1997, according to a city staff report. The proposed fast food restaurant would include 61 parking spaces and a 26-car pedestrian lane.
FOR ENTERING NEW MARKETS WITH MULTIPLE FOOD STYLES AFTER THE END OF THE YEAR: REPORT
The City Council in Culver City, California, passed a 45-day ordinance last month to block new driver’s licenses while staff drafts a possible ban. (Retuers/Daniel Cole/Reuters)
The Burgers had not yet submitted the official permit application they were preparing when the city went through the process, a city spokesperson told LAist.
FOX Business has reached out to In-N-Out for comment.
“As a private, family-owned company, we generally do not comment publicly on business matters,” an In-N-Out spokesperson told LAist.
Critics of the In-N-Out plan have slammed the proposal as potentially damaging the city’s ability to be safe and accessible.
“Congestion is inevitable, and development is inevitable,” Vanessa Martin, a city resident organizing in support of the drive-thru ban, told LAist. “We want to step up and be smart about it.”
Martin’s wife, Cynthia, created an online petition asking residents and the city council to oppose the In-N-Out “mega drive-thru,” saying it would create traffic congestion, worsen air quality and create safety concerns for pedestrians and bicyclists.
In-N-Out will be the first new drive-thru in Culver City since 1997. (Reuters/Daniel Cole/Reuters)
Another resident, Paul Hewitt, began passing out flyers to his neighbors calling the project a “bad idea.”
Culver City Council member Bubba Fish, who is on the city’s subcommittee, said the city needs to build “walkable, bikeable, safe streets for people of all walks of life, and walking is the opposite of that.”
But opponents of the ban say drive-throughs are an important option for shoppers, including people with disabilities and families with children.
Jot Condie, president of the California Restaurant Association, said he believes the drive-thru ban is generally “short-sighted.”
“You ban fast-food restaurants without saying it,” Condie said.
DAD REVEALS HOW HIS FAMILY OF 5 EAT AT CHICK-FIL-A FOR UNDER $45
Critics of the In-N-Out plan have slammed the proposal as potentially damaging the city’s ability to be safe and accessible. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images/Getty Images)
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
About 70% of all fast food sales come from drive-thru orders, according to the American Planning Association.
This isn’t the first attempt at a drive-thru ban in the Golden State.
Culver City already has a downtown ban, while Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo have had city-wide bans for decades, according to LAist. Carlsbad recently eased a citywide ban that began in the late 1990s to allow consideration of individual drive-by passes.
When San Diego considered a partial drive-thru ban in 2021, the California Restaurant Association sent a letter saying the ban would prevent certain groups, including people with disabilities, from accessing products and services, the report said.
