In-N-Out Burger has filed plans with the City of Los Angeles to build a new restaurant with a drive-through at 2927-2969 Sepulveda Boulevard in Rancho Park, a site near the 405-10 interchange that would require the chain to raze the existing commercial buildings there. The proposed restaurant would total 3,890 square feet, according to the filing.
The application, filed earlier this month, was first reported by Urbanize LA. Because the site adjoins residential property, In-N-Out will need a conditional use permit to allow a drive-through next to residential-zoned land, along with a zone variance permitting continued use of residential-zoned land at the rear of the property for parking, per the same outlet's reporting. Under Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 12.24.W.17, fast-food establishments with drive-through service in commercial zones require a Conditional Use Permit whenever the lot line adjoins, faces across a street from, or is separated only by an alley from any residential zone or residential use, according to Los Angeles City Planning. The permit process includes public notice and a public hearing.
A Site Steeped in Southern California Diner History
The proposed site was formerly occupied by Hamburger Hamlet, per the Urbanize LA report — a Los Angeles-based chain opened in 1950 that grew to 24 locations, according to Wikipedia. Hamburger Hamlet was started by actor Harry Lewis and his wife Marilyn. An adjacent strip mall now houses Hamburger Habit, which advertises a KABC 790 title of Best Hamburger In Southern California — a distinction the Urbanize LA report notes was bestowed during the Clinton administration.
In-N-Out itself has a long history with the drive-through format it now hopes to bring to Rancho Park. Founded in 1948 in Baldwin Park, the chain has a long history with drive-throughs, according to SFGATE. Drive-through dining expanded rapidly across the nation in the decades that followed. As of August 2026, In-N-Out operates 442 total restaurants across 10 states, with California hosting 289 locations — about 65% of the chain's national footprint — per ScrapeHero.
Culver City Fight Looms Over the Application
The Rancho Park filing comes after In-N-Out faced unexpected resistance to a proposed restaurant in neighboring Culver City, where the city council voted to extend a moratorium on new drive-through restaurants, putting that chain's Sepulveda and Sawtelle boulevards location on hold. The moratorium, initially enacted for 45 days in June 2026, was extended for an additional 10.5 months through mid-2027 while city staff studies a permanent ban, according to LAist.
Opposition to new drive-throughs in Westside Los Angeles communities centers on concerns over traffic, pollution, safety, and walkability, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Housing Boom Reshapes the Sepulveda Corridor
The proposed burger stand would sit across the street from a site at 2930 South Sepulveda Boulevard that has a recently approved housing plan. The plan would replace a vacant former Bank of America building, according to LA YIMBY.
Plans to replace four single-family homes at 2600-2616 Sepulveda Boulevard with a 43-unit apartment building use Transit Oriented Communities incentives tied to its proximity to Metro's Expo/Sepulveda Station, according to Urbanize LA. Five units in that project were set aside for extremely low-income households.
With the Culver City fight still playing out just over the city line, In-N-Out's Rancho Park application sets up a fresh test of how a drive-through concept collides with a corridor increasingly defined by transit-oriented apartment towers. Whether the chain can clear the conditional use permit and zone variance process remains to be seen as the filing moves through Los Angeles city review.
