California already forced one drive-thru McDonald's to close for good.
Culver City just picked up that same playbook to target a beloved In-N-Out.
The city's vice mayor just revealed what he actually wants built there instead.
Vice Mayor Wants Housing Where the Burgers Would Go
In-N-Out wanted to build its first new Culver City location since 1997.
The plan called for 61 parking spaces and a drive-thru lane built to hold 26 cars.
A group of neighbors mobilized against the project almost immediately.
Neighbor Paul Hewitt started handing out flyers calling the project a bad idea.
The Culver City Council responded in June with a 45-day moratorium on every new drive-thru permit in town.
City staff are now drafting a permanent ban, and it wouldn't stop at In-N-Out.
A ban, unlike a moratorium, would block any new drive-thru business in Culver City going forward, not just this one.
Vice Mayor Bubba Fish didn't hide what he'd rather see on that corner instead.
He said the idling, fume-spewing cars in that lane "could be homes for people."
Fish has pushed hard for housing before, including backing a nearby apartment tower with more than a thousand units.
But a commercial pad built for 61 parking spaces and a 26-car drive-thru lane isn't zoned, or sized, for anything close to that kind of housing.
It's a burger lot, not a housing site, no matter how Fish wants to frame the tradeoff.
He also called drive-throughs "the antithesis of that" while describing his vision for a walkable, bike-friendly Culver City.
In-N-Out has not submitted a formal permit application since the moratorium took effect.
The company's only public response was a brief statement that it does not comment on business matters.
Restaurant Industry Says the Ban Punishes Regular Families
Culver City is not inventing a new tactic here.
The city already bans drive-throughs in its own downtown corridor.
Santa Barbara has banned drive-throughs since 1979, and San Luis Obispo has banned them since 1982.
San Luis Obispo's ban already claimed one victim: a McDonald's that closed for good after four decades in the city.
Carlsbad went the other direction, easing its own decades-old ban to let new drive-thrus get considered case by case.
The restaurant industry says the same fate awaits In-N-Out.
Jot Condie, president of the California Restaurant Association, said cities pushing these bans are "essentially banning quick-service restaurants without specifically stating that."
Roughly 70% of all fast-food sales in America happen at the drive-thru window, according to the American Planning Association.
Families with young kids and customers with disabilities rely on that window the most.
When San Diego considered a similar ban in 2021, the California Restaurant Association warned it would cut off access for disabled customers entirely.
Culver City resident Vanessa Martin, who organized support for the ban, insists the fight is really about smart growth and not about stopping burgers.
Nobody on the council has explained why a more walkable Culver City and a hamburger stand can't coexist.
A city council decided it knows better than 26 lanes of hungry customers what belongs on that corner.
Culver City isn't just saying no to one burger chain. It's saying no to every drive-thru that could ever open there again.
California cities keep finding new ways to decide what regular people are allowed to eat and how they're allowed to get it.
This is the same playbook Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo already ran, just forty years later and aimed at a bigger target.
Every one of those bans got sold to residents as walkability and clean air.
Every one of those bans also ended up costing a restaurant that regular families actually used.
The fight now heads to Culver City's planning commission before a final council vote.
Whichever way it goes, the precedent is already set: the next city hall meeting could decide whether your favorite drive-thru is allowed to exist at all.
Sources:
- Landon Mion, "California city pushes for drive-thru ban after neighbors sounded alarm over burger chain's proposed addition," Fox Business, July 9, 2026.
- "Culver City weighs drive-thru ban following backlash over proposed In-N-Out," FOX 11 Los Angeles, July 10, 2026.
- "Culver City considers permanent ban on new drive-thru restaurants," CBS Los Angeles, July 10, 2026.
