In the ongoing battle between In-N-Out’s strict corporate brand identity and Palm Springs’s equally strict commitment to cohesive design standards, it first seemed like Palm Springs might have eked out a small win on Monday as the California burger giant presented slightly stripped-down renderings for its proposed new location in the Smoke Tree Village shopping center.
The rendering was still immediately recognizable as an In-N-Out, much like the nearly 300 other locations across California (and growing number in other states). But the thick red trim was replaced with aluminum silver, the roof was flattened out with no slanted lines, and glass blocks in the windows were removed. The only remaining burst of red was on the brand’s logo and the shade umbrellas for outside dining.
But the members of the Architectural Review Committee (ARC) who reviewed the new renderings on Monday were less than pleased, taking issue with both the aesthetics of the building — the bright white color and an overall architectural style they said felt out of place — and with broader questions over whether the popular burger chain was respecting their input from previous meetings…