New In-N-Out in Irvine opens at massive Great Park development

Irvine is getting a fresh Double-Double — and the wait is finally over.

In-N-Out is opening its eagerly awaited drive-thru in Irvine Friday, Sept. 4, bringing its burgers, fries and famously devoted following to the massive Great Park development.

The new restaurant at 7900 Great Park Blvd. is part of the first phase of The Canopy, a 12-acre shopping and dining center rising in the heart of the sprawling Great Park Neighborhoods.

And if the burger crowds get hungry, there’s plenty of room to pack them in.

The 3,860-square-foot restaurant will seat 84 customers inside, with another 36 spots on the outdoor patio, according to In-N-Out. The drive-thru can accommodate 33 vehicles.

Hours will run from 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 1:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday — giving late-night burger fans plenty of time to get their Animal Style fix.

The Irvine location is the chain’s 443rd.

It also marks a homecoming of sorts for the burger giant, which is headquartered in Irvine but has deep Southern California roots. In-N-Out has previously said it plans to eventually move its headquarters back to Baldwin Park, where the company was founded, while establishing an eastern headquarters in suburban Nashville.

The new restaurant is landing in a development that is itself a California-sized undertaking.

Great Park is being transformed on the former site of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro into a roughly 1,300-acre recreational and entertainment hub — a footprint larger than New York City’s famed Central Park.

The ambitious $1 billion project is planned to include lakes, trails, museums, sports facilities, shopping, restaurants and an amphitheater, among other attractions.

The Canopy is designed to be a walkable, all-day destination, with In-N-Out serving as one of its marquee tenants. Other announced tenants include Canadian Asian grocery giant T&T Supermarket, along with Philz Coffee and H&H Bagels.

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