New Santa Rosa burger joint ties up traffic

The lure of sizzling meat covered in melted cheese proved too much Monday for Carlos Diaz and his two sons.

The Santa Rosa landscaper pulled into a drive-through line that snaked onto the street outside the new In-N-Out Burger near Steele Lane, the back end of his pickup jutting out onto County Center Drive.

With more than two-dozen cars ahead of him, Diaz said there's no substitute for the burger, fries and frosty shake.

"It's way worth it," said one of his children, 11-year-old Carlos Diaz Jr., as the truck crept slowly forward.

But not everyone is so enthused about Sonoma County's third In-N-Out, opened just 12 days ago.

Hordes of customers are snarling traffic near one of the city's busiest intersections with Highway 101. Congestion along County Center is made worse by the drive-through line that sometimes reaches out to the street. And those who work in the area are experiencing negative impacts.

There's a sense of chaos, especially at lunch and dinner. Employees are not just taking orders, they're outside directing traffic and helping people at the nearby crosswalk. There's been one minor crash, a number of near-misses and lots of horn-honking, according to police and those who work in the area.

For some, what was billed as a cheeseburger in paradise has become a whopper of a headache.

"People drive by and yell that someone's going to get in an accident because of all the people who want to get fat," said employee Derrick Burt, who was directing cars in his white uniform Monday during the lunch hour. "Some people are cussing us out, some people are praising us."

At the veterinary clinic across the street, there's not much praise.

Dr. Jona Jordan said restaurant customers are swamping her parking lot and leaving behind trash. She posted a no-parking sign, but on Monday, people were ignoring it.

"The other day, a large group of people decided my employee's truck was a good place to have lunch," Jordan said. "They just dropped the tailgate and sat down. They got snotty when I told them to move."

Randy Pennington, a CPA with nearby offices, said eventually customers may find it's too much trouble to come to In-N-Out for lunch. An impatient driver honked at him as he crossed the street after eating a noontime burger.

"People drive like maniacs around here as it is," Pennington said. "Now you have this changed condition."

Police said they are aware of the situation. Sgt. Rich Celli said traffic appears to be moving east-west on Steele Lane and up the freeway ramps but there is congestion on southbound County Center.

He said officers would be keeping a close eye on violations like illegal U-turns and blocking intersections. He said police have received complaints about employees placing cones in the street. The restaurant has 43 parking spaces and was designed for a maximum 17 cars waiting for drive-through service.

During the lunch hour Monday, up to 30 cars were waiting in line with six In-and-Out employees outside either taking orders or directing traffic.

"We are going to make sure folks are not getting out of hand to get to their burgers," Celli said.

The response is not unusual for the Baldwin Park-based chain. Company spokesman Carl Van Fleet said there is generally a little buzz around a new restaurant but it subsides over time. In two months, he said traffic will drop as much as 30 percent.

Already, Van Fleet said, it appeared to be slowing compared to the first week. He would not release any sales information.

"It usually doesn't happen in a city like this with another restaurant seven miles down road," Van Fleet said, noting the popular Rohnert Park restaurant. "But sometimes we get a great outpouring. It will calm down after a while."

Bringing an In-N-Out to Santa Rosa was somewhat controversial. Critics feared it would increase congestion at one of the busiest intersections in the city. About 45,000 cars a day pass under the freeway on Steele Lane.

Also, environmental advocates said they were concerned about emissions from idling cars waiting at the drive-through window. The company said it would encourage motorists to turn off their cars and agreed to make the location more pedestrian friendly.

City planner Noah Housh said traffic studies confirmed congestion at Steele Lane and County Center was high and that the estimated 183 additional peak hour daily trips from In-N-Out wouldn't help. The city also knew about the Rohnert Park location, which is one of In-N-Out's highest-grossing restaurants and has traffic spilling onto the street.

Still, Housh said "grand opening-type" traffic was temporary.

"When something everyone wants becomes available, they are going to go get it," Housh said. "After a while, their desire will be satisfied."

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CORRECTION: November 11, 2010:

A traffic study for Santa Rosa's new In-N-Out Burger, cited in this story, estimated additional car trips during peaks hours, not for the entire day. From 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the study expected 115 additional trips and from 4 to 6 p.m. it expected 67.