MEDFORD — Medford could be the first of many In-N-Out Burger restaurants to open in Oregon, a spokesman for the company said.
“As far as other Oregon sites are concerned, eventually we’d like to open more restaurants, but, again, it is just too early to project any other sites besides Medford,” Carl Van Fleet, vice president of planning and development for In-N-Out, wrote in an email.
The popular hamburger chain, which started in Southern California, is planning to build a restaurant on the north side of the Rogue Valley Mall at the site of a recently demolished Shell service station.
In-N-Out’s application calls for a 3,750-square-foot building with 51 parking spaces that is similar in style to its other restaurants, featuring white stucco, a red tile roof and its logo. According to documents filed with the city, the value of the building is $853,905 and the value of the equipment is $386,095.
The In-N-Out franchise would be the first location in Oregon. The closest location to Jackson County is in Redding, Calif. In-N-Out has 303 locations in California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and Texas.
Representatives from In-N-Out have told Medford officials previously that they hadn’t opened a location in Oregon because of supply chain issues. Now the company has set up a distribution facility in Northern California that will serve Medford.
Van Fleet said it is premature to reveal the company’s plans for other possible locations in Oregon.
“Unfortunately, it is still too soon to discuss timing, and we don’t want to just guess, as that would likely be inaccurate and possibly wind up misleading some of your readers,” Van Fleet stated.
City officials estimate the Medford In-N-Out will receive building permits sometime this spring. The Medford proposal recently received approval from the Medford Site Plan and Architectural Commission.
Van Fleet said it will take four to five months to complete the building once construction begins, but he said he is unable to provide a projected start date.
Several weeks before the opening, the restaurant will begin its hiring process and will be looking for 50 to 60 new “associates,” he said
Van Fleet didn’t provide wage and benefit information, but In-N-Out’s website indicates new associates generally start at $10.50 an hour, which would be higher than Oregon’s minimum wage of $9.25 an hour.
The Redding restaurant pays $11 an hour, according to the website, and some stores in the Bay Area pay $11.50 an hour. An In-N-Out in Westwood Village in the Los Angeles area pays $13 an hour. The company also offers benefits to part-time and full-time employees such as paid vacations, free meals and a 401(k) plan.
