People are talking about In-N-Out Burger coming to the Shops at Rossmoor in Seal Beach.
What is the impact is, not just on residents in the immediate area, but to everyone?
I recently spoke with a colleague in Rossmoor about the fact that In-N-Out has opened. My view was that I haven’t gone to this location yet, but that’s only because it’s not something I do on a daily basis. To me, a visit to In-N-Out Burger is an event. It is usually a day I take my family there and we simply enjoy the food because mom doesn’t have to cook that day. We are usually on our way somewhere and we crave In-N-Out Burger at those times because it’s nostalgic and plainly good fast food and it’s near the freeway. It doesn’t have a hundred items on the menu so you don’t have to worry since it’s only burgers and fries.
My colleague in Rossmoor said that the smell of the smoke is something she didn’t expect. The fact that it truly is an all-day scent that permeates everywhere—I have to agree with her. I also know from other locations outside of this one that the smell of any burger joint is something people deal with when they live close to it. This one just happens to work a bit faster and produces more scent per hour than any other burger joint I know of.
Before the place opened, I worried about the configuration of the parking lot and the In-N-Out Burger traffic in the center. I am sure there are days it is higher but like any other In-N-Out Burger, I saw that the organization of the line of cars for the drive through was done well. They put thought into how they would separate the normal parking lot from the line in the drive through with the orange cones.
That separates this establishment from other burger joints because I do not see them doing that in a center that is full of cars and other businesses that may not appreciate their traffic “line.” The impact on car traffic when the other stores open in the space that was formerly Stats remains to be seen. I cringe to think about that.
My colleague said the “novelty” of going to the place is gone for her and her family. That’s what really matters to anyone who loves this establishment. It’s not that they don’t like In-N-Out Burger, it’s the fact that it used to be a place you had to drive to and it was a fun family time if you make this place a family affair. It was a place you could grab a quick bite and feel like you were at home.
The young people who work seem happy. They smile easily and are quick to ask politely if you want more with your order. I don’t think I have ever heard a “no” answer from anyone of them when I have asked for extras.
So the fact that we have an In-N-Out Burger joint we can walk is convenient, but that’s it. The overall feeling of it is quite mixed by those that love it but don’t love the traffic.
No one wants constant burgers and fries smoke in the air, unless you are a grease freak. Then again, who brought this business in? Was it the residents?
Of course not—it was the corporation that now owns the center itself. Someone recently told me that the choice of this particular business is a gold mine. Yes, that may be true, but at what cost to the people who truly loved to eat there when it wasn’t in their back yard?
My point for the owners of the Shops at Rossmoor and the Old Towne Center that is directly across the street is this—what stores do the people really want? Did any of these owners bother to ask? Apparently they did not—they chose this center due to studies already done and proven by other centers in other cities. Hmm…that really hurts. When will the corporate world learn that profit is nice, but so is bliss for those you cater to?
Enea Ostrich is a longtime resident of Seal Beach’s College Park East neighborhood.
