Construction is underway on an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in the environs of the Mission San Juan Capistrano.
The single-lane drive-thru is at 31791 Del Obispo St., next to San Juan Capistrano’s Historic Town Center Park and a short walk from the mission, which its website calls the “birthplace of Orange County.” It was founded in 1776.
Its architecture will be Mission Revival style, consistent with the nearby Blas Aguilar Adobe, which dates from 1794, according to design renderings presented when the project was approved on Feb. 8, 2022.
Features include domed towers, a tile roof, columns and archways, and a flower bed to hide the drive-thru.
Renderings show the words “IN-N-OUT BURGER” recessed into the wall above the main entrance instead of being displayed in an illumnated sign.
Mission bells in the towers, reminiscent of a 1960s Taco Bell restaurant, were removed from early versions of the design, according to a powerpoint presentation supplied by the city manager’s office.
The In-N-Out is being built on the site of a demolished Marie Callender’s restaurant.
Attempts were made in 2010-2011 to get an In-N-Out approved for 31863 Del Obispo St., a former Sizzler, but the Irvine-based chain backed out. The Sizzler site is now an O’Reilly Auto Parts store with Missiion Revival architecture.
The In-N-Out will be Orange County’s second Mission Revival In-N-Out, following a San Clemente restaurant that opened in December.
It will likely awhile before the San Juan Capistrano restaurant opens. In-N-Out only recently added the address to the “opening soon” page on its website, which usually happens at or near the start of construction. After breaking ground, it takes eight or nine months to build and open a restaurant, according to Mike Abbate, the chain’s assistant vice president for real estate and development.
In-N-Out already has a drive-thru in the city, at 28782 Camino Capistrano. It is about four miles from Del Obispo Street.
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