After two years of anticipating a "double-double" with a side of fries, local In-N-Out Burger fanatics will soon be able to pull into the region's first pair of In-N-Out eateries.
The first In-N-Out location at El Con Mall, 3711 Broadway, is scheduled to open in early April. The second, at Marana's Arizona Pavilions shopping center, near North Cortaro Road and Interstate 10, plans to open by midsummer, Carl Van Fleet, In-N-Out's vice president of planning and development, said in a telephone interview.
"We're excited to finally open in Tucson," Van Fleet said. "There's a lot there. It's a vibrant city, El Con is a great site, and the city is growing. ... We've wanted to be there for a long time."
The Irvine, Calif.-based fast-food chain, which has developed a loyal following with its simple menu of freshly made hamburgers and french fries, announced in 2005 that it would build two restaurants in Tucson.
Since then, little construction has taken place at the locations until the past few months, when the El Con In-N-Out's building started to take shape.
Construction delays at other In-N-Out locations had stalled the Tucson projects, Van Fleet said.
"A lot of it dealt with internal issues with building other stores. It's not that abnormal to see holdups, and it's not abnormal to see delays happen," he said.
Other Arizona In-N-Out outlets are in the Phoenix area, Prescott, Kingman, Lake Havasu City and Yuma.
The privately held, family-run company plans to open 11 new In-N-Out locations this year in Arizona, California and Nevada.
Normally, it takes about five months to build a new restaurant, Van Fleet said.
Crews should break ground soon on the Marana restaurant, Van Fleet said.
The Tucson and Marana locations plan to hire 50 to 60 employees, and hiring for the El Con location should start in mid- to late March, Van Fleet said. Starting pay is $9.50 an hour.
Susan Allen, a spokeswoman for El Con Mall, said In-N-Out could act as a catalyst to bring new stores to the 1.2 million-square-foot shopping center.
While few tenants are inside the mall, new anchor stores, including Target and Home Depot, have sprouted stand-alone stores nearby in recent years. A Claim Jumper restaurant opened in 2005 southeast of the mall, and a Starbucks and Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill have recently moved into new buildings at El Con.
CB Richard Ellis, which handles leasing for El Con, is bringing other national tenants to the mall, said Nancy McClure, the firm's vice president.
Construction is starting on a 30,000-square-foot Ross Dress for Less store on the mall's south side wing, expected to open in late 2007 or early 2008. Fast-food chain Chick-fil-A is also preparing to remodel the building vacated by Krispy Kreme, McClure said.
For In-N-Out devotees, however, burgers will probably rule over chicken sandwiches.
Jackie Tingsabhat, 25, calls herself a big fan of In-N-Out's double-double fries and burgers with green sauce.
"I'm not going to lie, it tastes like it was grilled in your own back yard," said Tingsabhat, who moved from Irvine to Tucson four years ago. "In Irvine, it seems like there's an In-N-Out on every other street corner. I'm so excited they're finally coming to Tucson."
Did you know?
• Irvine, Calif.-based In-N-Out Burger is a privately owned and family-run chain that was founded in 1948 in Baldwin Park, Calif.
• The company has 205 outlets in Arizona, California and Nevada. In-N-Out is credited as California's first drive-through hamburger place.
• Everything is made fresh to order, and the restaurants do not use microwaves or freezers.
• There is also a "secret menu" with variations on how burgers are prepared.
Source: In-N-Out Burger
