A California city is considering a ban on drive-throughs after some residents expressed concerns that an In-N-Out project could harm air quality, worsen traffic and create safety concerns for pedestrians and cyclists.
The Culver City, California, city council passed a 45-day moratorium last month to ban permits for new drive-ins while staff drafted a potential ban, according to LAist. This comes after the city’s mobility subcommittee voted to recommend staff draft the ban in May.
If the city council approves a ban, only new businesses would be affected.
In-N-Out would be the first new drive-thru in Culver City since 1997, according to a city staff report. The proposed fast food would include 61 parking spaces and a drive-thru lane capable of accommodating 26 vehicles.
IN-N-OUT TO TAKE A NEW MARKET WITH SEVERAL RESTAURANTS BY THE END OF THE YEAR: REPORT
The Culver City, Calif., city council last month passed a 45-day moratorium to ban permits for new drive-thrus while staff drafted a potential ban. (Returners/Daniel Cole / Reuters)
The burger chain had not submitted the formal permit application it was preparing when the city passed the moratorium, a city spokesperson told LAist.
FOX Business has contacted In-N-Out for comment.
“As a privately owned, family-owned business, we generally do not comment publicly on business matters,” an In-N-Out spokesperson told LAist.
Critics of In-N-Out’s plan have criticized the proposal because it could harm the city’s ability to be safe and walkable.
“Density is inevitable, and development is inevitable,” Vanessa Martin, a city resident who is organizing support for the drive-thru ban, told LAist. “We want to be proactive and smart about this.”
Martin’s wife, Cynthia, created an online petition calling on residents and the city council to oppose the In-N-Out “mega drive-thru,” arguing that it would create traffic congestion, worsen air quality and pose safety concerns for pedestrians and cyclists.
In-N-Out would be the first new drive-thru in Culver City since 1997. (Reuters/Daniel Cole/Reuters)
Another resident, Paul Hewitt, began handing out flyers to his neighbors, calling the project a “terrible idea.”
Culver City Council member Bubba Fish, who serves on the city’s mobility subcommittee, said the city needs to create “more walkable, more bikeable, safer streets for people of all modes, and drive-throughs are the antithesis of that.”
But opponents of the ban said drive-thrus are an important option for consumers, including people with disabilities and families with children.
Jot Condie, president of the California Restaurant Association, said he thinks drive-thru bans are generally “shortsighted.”
“You’re basically banning fast food restaurants without specifically spelling it out,” Condie said.
FATHER REVEALED HOW HIS FAMILY OF 5 EAT AT CHICK-FIL-A FOR LESS THAN $45
Critics of In-N-Out’s plan have criticized the proposal because it could harm the city’s ability to be safe and walkable. (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 to ban drive-thrus in the Golden State.
Culver City already bans drive-thrus in its downtown area, while Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo have had bans citywide for decades, according to LAist. Carlsbad recently eased a citywide ban that began in the late 1990s to allow new drive-thru services to be considered on a case-by-case basis.
When San Diego considered a partial drive-thru ban in 2021, the California Restaurant Association sent a letter arguing that a ban would prevent certain groups, including people with disabilities, from accessing products and services, the outlet reported.
