Inside the town that does not want an In-and-Out: ‘They are not God’s gift’
Nearly two years after plans to bring an In-N-Out Burger to Palm Springs were first made public, the fast-food chain remains stuck in a delayed city review process due to disagreements over architectural standards.
The city’s Architectural Review Committee granted conditional approval to the project in a 3-2 vote last week, as reported by SFGate. The decision marks the sixth time the committee has reviewed the proposed 3,886-square-foot restaurant in the Smoke Tree Village shopping center, located southeast of downtown along Highway 111.
Though the Palm Springs Planning Commission initially approved the general project over a year ago, the design panel holds authority over ensuring commercial developments match the Southern California desert city’s distinct aesthetic.
Despite recent design revisions by In-N-Out — including softening bright red accents and flattening angular retro rooflines — several panel members expressed frustration with the company’s cooperation during the October 19 meeting.
“This has been like pulling teeth,” Vice Chair John Walsh said during the meeting. “I just have never been involved in such a protracted process that has been difficult at best.”
Walsh noted that the developer had either ignored or only partially addressed roughly a dozen of the 18 design changes previously requested by city officials.
“It has been made very hard by the applicant to kind of get over a lot of these hurdles,” Walsh said, though he ultimately voted in favor of conditional approval.
Other panel members voted against the proposal. Committee member Charles Elliott criticized the chain’s resistance to creating a custom structure tailored to Palm Springs, comparing the proposed building to suburban developments near Los Angeles.
“We’re asking them to take a journey that they don’t seem to be willing to go on,” Elliott said. “We’re asking them for something special, and they’re giving us something that looks like it belongs in San Dimas.”
Residents also spoke out against the design during the meeting’s public comment period. David Murphy, a local resident and city planning commissioner speaking in a personal capacity, voiced strong opposition to the look of the building.
“This is not the kind of architecture that belongs in this part or section of the city, in my humble opinion,” Murphy said. “I think what we’ve ended up with here, in spite of your best efforts and the applicant’s best efforts, is what I would call, to be dramatic, a Frankenstein monster.”
Community members pointed out that In-N-Out has built customized, non-standard storefronts in other cities, challenging the company’s assertion that it could not compromise its corporate identity. Resident Paul Valentino cited company locations in Westwood Village, Westlake Village, Mill Valley and Flagstaff, Arizona, as examples where the chain adapted to historic or distinct local styles.
Another resident, Chris Menrad, urged the city via phone to push for a higher design standard.
“They did it in Westwood Village,” Menrad told the committee. “Look at that. Do something great and put your name on the map, and don’t do mediocrity because that’s not what we want and we don’t need it. They are not God’s gift to Palm Springs.”
