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Search Menu Login Reset Password Home Weather Archive Sign Up for Alerts Full Site Close Menu Nathaniel Brown takes orders from the drive-thru driveway of Oregon's first In-N-Out restaurant, which opened in Medford Wednesday. Mail Tribune / Jamie Lusch In-N-Out fans celebrate opening of Medford store By By Damian Mann Mail Tribune September 09, 2015 - 11:32 AM Sleeping overnight on the sidewalk outside In-N-Out Burger was worth it for Medford residents Keith Guy and his 13-year-old daughter, Whytney. "I think this will taste like victory," Whytney said. She and her dad were the first customers to walk through the doors of In-N-Out Wednesday morning, commemorating the first location for the popular burger chain in Oregon at 1970 Crater Lake Highway next to the Rogue Valley Mall. "I didn't get any sleep," her 40-year-old dad said. "But we got her set up comfortably on the ground, and she slept pretty well." "Not much," Whytney said. After chomping down their burgers along with "animal fries," Whytney said she was sleepy but was going to head to school. The Guys and many of the first customers received several gifts from In-N-Out, including the coveted T-shirts that say "Oregon" on them. Whytney and her dad both received complimentary dinners the night before after they arrived at 4 p.m. The newest In-N-Out Burger will be open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. and until 1:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Lines for In-N-Out appeared to increase as the day went by. In the morning, it took up to 20 minutes through the drive-thru and about 10 to 15 minutes for those walking in. By lunchtime, an hour wait greeted motorists and those inside waited about a half-hour. The much-touted In-N-Out fries were taken off the menu around noon after the deep-fat fryer broke down, but it appeared to be fixed by about 3 p.m. Overall, customers were happy just to have their favorite burger chain in Medford.  Central Point residents David Gigar and his wife, Lyn, said they've been waiting a long time for In-N-Out to open locally. They make it a point to stop at as many In-N-Outs as they can while traveling. "This is the earliest we've ever had an In-N-Out," Lyn, 66, said. Her husband collects In-N-Out T-shirts and wore a vintage, 23-year-old shirt from California with a dragster under the logo. "I've got the T-shirts from every state," he said. The Gigars were the second group to get through the door, and also received a free meal. Ashland resident Anthony Carlin dropped his truck off for service and decided to walk over to In-N-Out. "I thought it was going to be bedlam," he said. "I never thought I'd be eating In-N-Out for breakfast." Carlin combined his double-double burger with animal-style fries smothered in cheese and grilled onions. "You've got to enjoy life while you can," he said. Carlin not only ate at In-N-Out for breakfast, but said he would return with his daughter in the afternoon once she got out of school. "She's having lunch with her dad on opening day," he said. "She's so thrilled."  Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] " href="mailto: [email protected] "> [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at @reporterdm .     Fact Box In-N-Out eyes Grants Pass and Roseburg expansion In-N-Out Burger's first restaurant in Oregon could be one of many throughout the state, with Grants Pass and Roseburg squarely in the sights of corporate officials. "We can definitely go farther north," said Lynsi Snyder, president of In-N-Out and granddaughter of the burger chain's founder. "We have a handful of cities that we've talked about." Snyder, who was on hand for the grand opening of the Medford store on Wednesday, said In-N-Out is in no hurry to find new stores, noting that only a few have opened since the beginning of the year. She said the company prefers to carefully choose locations and develop a supply chain that can still deliver fresh products. In-N-Out needs to open stores within a day's drive from its processing plants, she said. Snyder said its plant in Baldwin Park, Calif., which is near Los Angles, serves stores as far away as Salt Lake City, a distance of almost 700 miles. In-N-Out's closest processing plant to Medford is Lathrop, Calif., a distance of more than 350 miles. Lathrop to Portland is just over 600 miles. The fast-food chain has 304 locations throughout California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas and now Oregon. In-N-Out was founded in Southern California by Harry and Esther Snyder and is still owned and operated by the Snyder family. None of the units are franchised. Lynsi Snyder, 33, was called one of the youngest female billionaires by Bloomberg News, but Forbes in 2013 estimated her worth at about $500 million. She said she still likes to eat at In-N-Out, but acknowledged it's more popular with her husband and kids. The opening of the Medford store coincided with the birthday of the late Harry Snyder, who would have been 102 Wednesday. Carl Van Fleet, vice president of planning and development for the company, said Grants Pass and Roseburg are locations under consideration. Even though Grants Pass is a short distance from Medford, he said it still might make sense to have two locations that are just over 20 miles apart. "We'd love to have another location in Southern Oregon," he said. "It makes sense to us." Van Fleet said he couldn't discuss how many burgers were sold each day or other information about In-N-Out's operations that would give competitors a trade advantage. The buns are still made the same way that Harry Snyder served in 1948, from sponge dough with no preservatives, he said. Van Fleet said In-N-Out uses beef taken only from the arm chuck, near the shoulder of cattle, for its burgers. "It's what you see Rocky punching on in the movie," Van Fleet said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] " href="mailto: [email protected] "> [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at @reporterdm .         Popular Today Marie Callender's replacement proposed Child taken to hospital after being struck by vehicle in west Medford UPDATE: Names released of victims of triple-fatal crash near Kerby What if Lost Creek dam failed? Three dead in Highway 199 crash near Cave Junction MIND THE GAP Sheriff faces excessive force charges Latest Photo Galleries home search Full Site video weather daily archive txt alerts about mobile website limelight deals jobs real estate © Copyright Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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