IN-N-OUT Burger is making plans to bring its popular, never-frozen patties, saucy "spread" and fresh-cut fries to Draper.

The California-based company filed an application Wednesday to open its second Utah restaurant in the Draper Peaks shopping center.

The proposed burger joint could open as early as the fall, an IN-N-OUT spokesman said.

The company liked the area's growing population and the success of the IN-N-OUT in southern Utah that opened 10 months ago, said Carl Van Fleet, executive vice president for planning and development.

The Draper site is a good fit for IN-N-OUT because it's close to and visible from Interstate 15 and in a busy area with lots of retail stores, he said.

"We think it will be a great place for us," Van Fleet said Wednesday.

Still, he said, the company is looking into opening more restaurants in the Salt Lake City area.

The company's 229 stores in four states are family-owned and operated.

IN-N-OUT's application is scheduled to be considered March 5 by the Draper Planning Commission. Its approval is thought to be a given. Then, the company would apply for its building permit, said Assistant City Manager David Dobbins.

If all goes well, the company plans to start construction in "two or three months," Van Fleet said. He added that the plans are still in process, and "there's still a lot that we need to do" before the deal is closed.

"I appreciate everyone wants to know, but I don't want to make any promises we can't deliver," he said.

Draper residents are going to be excited about the news of the burger joint moving in, Dobbins said.

About two years ago, residents suggested in a survey that IN-N-OUT, Target and a sushi restaurant are businesses they'd like to see in Draper, he said.

In May, Dobbins said he and other city leaders met at a conference with IN-N-OUT executives about opening a store in Draper and kept in touch with them.

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