In-N-Out Burger, with retro look, to be built near Allegiant Stadium

A planned In-N-Out Burger restaurant could bring a retro feel to the developing stadium district being imagined in the vicinity of Allegiant Stadium.

Plans call for a 2,243-square-foot, 1940s-style In-N-Out Burger to be built on the southeast corner of Russell Road and Polaris Avenue, according to Clark County documents. The parcel of land had been used as a temporary parking lot for construction workers during the building of Allegiant Stadium.

The design review states the design will be “reminiscent of the first In-N-Out Burger drive-thru” built in 1948 in Southern California.

“It’s a tribute to the original founders, who had this initial vision for the company,” said Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft. “Basically a replica of what their first store looked like from the ’40s. It will be a nice visual for people to enjoy time before or after events at the stadium.”

Plans call for two drive thru lanes that can accommodate up to 53 vehicles total at a time, with motorists traveling through a tunnel to exit, aimed at creating a safer environment for the anticipated heavy foot traffic.

“The tunnel is for ingress and egress,” Naft said. “You pick up your food and you go under a tunnel that wraps you around back to Polaris.”

Banking on heavy pedestrian traffic from events at Allegiant Stadium, which sits across Russell, the restaurant will also have a pedestrian walk-up order area and large outdoor patio area, with no inside dining area.

Naft said the developers are looking to move quickly, with construction slated to begin as soon as the first quarter of 2021, barring any setbacks in the approval process.

The restaurant’s plans will be heard by the Paradise Town Board next week, then will go to zoning, planning and county commission.

The In-N-Out would be the first piece in the planned stadium district, Naft said. The district covers a 1.23 square mile area around the stadium and its borders are Tropicana Avenue to the north, the railroad tracks to the west and south and Interstate 15 to the east.

“It’s the first one of major interest, sort of the first piece of the puzzle,” Naft said. “It’s the kind of investment that we wanted to see badly on that intersection.”

Other interested parties have inquired about joining the stadium district. But Naft expects it to take a few years to plan and build out the district as potential investors want to see how the area naturally develops.

Initial plans were to go through the inaugural year of games and events and then finalize the stadium district plan. But with the unusual year brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, it looks like another year will be tacked on to help all involved figure out the best use of the area once attendee habits are documented.

“Even though we’re playing there, it’s not the same atmosphere that we would want to judge what users of the stadium will be looking for,” Naft said.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.