In-N-Out Burger gets green light to build restaurant in Lone Tree

In-N-Out Burger should be serving up stacked 4×4 burgers and animal style fries in the metro area by this time next year.

The Lone Tree City Council on Tuesday night voted 5-0 to approve construction of a 3,867-square-foot In-N-Out restaurant at 9171 Westview Road, just northwest of Park Meadows Mall. The Southern California-based chain, which has only expanded to five states beyond the Golden State in its 71 years of existence, has a rabid following devoted to its limited menu of burgers, fries and shakes.

The Lone Tree restaurant is expected to open in late 2020. In documents the company submitted to the city, it said the Douglas County In-N-Out could be the first one to open in the state, possibly outpacing an outlet slated for Colorado Springs. That restaurant is also set for a 2020 opening.

The fast-food chain, famous for fresh and never-frozen fare, is expecting such a booming business at its Lone Tree location from long-time devotees and curious newcomers that it plans to build a drive-thru lane capable of holding 26 vehicles, which would likely qualify as Colorado’s longest fast-food drive-thru.

As a condition of Tuesday night’s approval, Lone Tree leaders said the burger chain would have to develop a “traffic management plan” and share it with the police department and the public works department to manage traffic during the “initial opening period” of the restaurant.

In-N-Out has also announced plans for a restaurant in Fort Collins. No opening date has yet been set there.