The popular California burger chain In-N-Out may be proposing a location in Hillsboro.

So far, In-N-Out has three Oregon locations, but they are all south of Portland, with the nearest being the Keizer location, which opened in December of 2019.

But metro-area lovers of the Double Double and animal-style fries have been wishing and hoping for a closer location for a while, with locations being scouted in the suburbs from Beaverton to Tualatin to now, Hillsboro.

A proposed land use application was filed for a Hillsboro location in April.

The application for “a new quick-service restaurant with a drive-through” specifies that it will include a new building and will reconfigure or demolish the existing infrastructure.

An official with In-N-Out would not confirm the company plans to open in Hillsboro. 

“We do hope to open a restaurant at the Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway site in the future,” said Mike Abbate, assistant vice president of real estate and development.

“That said, it is still very early in the development application process. Because it is still so early in the process, it would be premature to comment on a timeline or if we will even achieve a development approval,” he said. “I’m sorry I can’t be more specific than that, but anything I could offer would be a guess and I do not want to take a chance on misleading your readers.”

Abbate said the company was “exploring an opportunity in Hillsboro and others throughout the Portland metro area,” but added that it is “too early to forecast any specific outcome within those trade areas.”

“We continue to remain hopeful to better serve our Portland area customers in the not-too-distant future,” he said.