In-N-Out Appears To Be Slipping Into Houston by the Dunvale Walmart

Heads up, California-ization vigilantes: A diligent transaction sifter over at HAIF noted last night that In-N-Out Burgers recently bought 8373 Westheimer Rd. (currently home to a branch of public employment center Workforce Solutions in the parking lot of the nearby Walmart Supercenter on Dunvale Rd.). The 1997 standalone building is right around the corner from the AMC Studio 30, and sits in something of a Whataburger gap — not one of the 5 nearest Whataburger locations is closer than 1.7 miles by car. The space had been put on the market a few times in the last few years with no takers; the sale to In-N-Out went through in late May, per county records.

Noises have been made before about In-N-Out possibly moving to (or near) Houston, but CBRE VP Jazz Hamilton told the Chronicle’s Katherine Feser only this past February that he expected the chain’s first location to open by the end of the year — adding that Houston will “see [more locations] come in quietly . . . All of a sudden, they’ll start building all at once.”

Photo of 8737 Westheimer Rd.: LoopNet

Out and In on Westheimer

8 Comment

  • THAT’S the location they chose for their entry into the Houston market?!

  • @Colleen: That seems like a great location. A lot of fast food burger eaters live around there, I bet. What’s wrong with it?

  • Overrated burgers, but good for the hipster set that wants to look California.

  • Did that used to be an old Just for Feet location?

  • In-N-Out tastes great in CA, but for some reason doesn’t travel well. I imagine a Whataburger in CA would not be as good either.

  • @WebsterResident, good call. The architecture is somewhat distinctive. According to the CClerk, the answer to your question is YES. Application for business was filed 6/2/1997, long since expired.

  • Ditto to joey jo-jo and JarritoW: I’ve eaten once at an In-N-Out in California. Not impressed. I’ll stick with “Texas Treasure” Whataburger.

  • Texans refuse to enjoy In-N-Out. For the price, I haven’t found a better burger out there. Are there better burgers out there in general? Yes, but not for $2.