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In-N-Out Burger Opens Doors to San Clemente Location
BY C. JAYDEN SMITH
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The long-awaited new In-N-Out Burger location situated along Avenida Pico opened on Friday morning, Dec. 9, after years of bureaucratic and construction delays.
As is custom, “all-stars” from other local franchises traveled to San Clemente to help with the opening and train the new associates, according to Chief Operating Officer Denny Warnick. The extra help will remain as long as necessary.
Warnick spoke to the extensive process that went into opening the newest restaurant within the city, starting with the submittal of a pre-application in January 2019. The project, he said, required countless details to manifest the “special” In-N-Out—the opening of which was significant for both the corporation and the city.
“This was definitely a longer process; there were a lot of things along the way to make sure that we took care for this particular property,” said Warnick. “And you can tell that this building is unique. It’s a beautiful building.”
In-N-Out Burger tapped Benjamin Sanchez, a 26-year veteran of the company, as the location’s general manager.
“For a number of years, he’s been running our store up in Laguna Niguel, and he is a fantastic leader and an awesome representative of our company,” Warnick said of Sanchez. “He’s just a wonderful candidate to be here bringing In-N-Out to the community for the first time.”
Longtime patrons of franchise locations outside of the city limits were excited to have one closer to home.
The new In-N-Out Burger location in San Clemente’s Pico Plaza, along Avenida Pico, opened last Friday morning, Dec. 9. Photo: C. Jayden Smith
Roxanne Wildermuth and Roberta Smigel, residents of San Clemente for 14 and 17 years, respectively, were among those who stopped by on Friday. Wildermuth said her favorite combo is the No. 2 cheeseburger meal.
Since moving to California from Brooklyn, New York, Smigel said she has eaten at In-N-Out frequently and loves the consistency.
“The service is really great, and everyone’s friendly,” said Smigel. “I’ve been wanting one here for so long.”
Anna Calderon, a 12-year resident, said she’s frequented the popular chain for many years, with her favorite meal being the Protein-Style Double Burger with well-done fries. She’s happy to have a location closer than the restaurant along San Juan Capistrano’s Ortega Highway.
Because of In-N-Out’s innate popularity, traffic around the new restaurant is a concern of Calderon’s. She acknowledged, though, that she felt similarly about the Outlets at San Clemente when it first opened, only to later see that the traffic hasn’t been as congested as she once thought.
“I’m like, ‘Wow, what’s the traffic going to be like?’” Calderon said. “But, I’ve known In-N-Out always to move their traffic quickly everywhere we go.”
Warnick told San Clemente Times the restaurant has hired 80 employees to date and looks to hire more.
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For every book he sells, he will give away one copy. He has already given 250 books to the Wolf Creek School in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, 40 to a Sacramento basketball club, and more books to a continuing high school in Los Angeles.
Conceptualizing a book to inform teenagers came from years of experience working with young athletes, according to Baum.
After seeing repeated examples of the habits his pupils learned trickle into gaining confidence and improving at school, Baum felt he could insert the principles into a book that apply to numerous areas in life.
Some of the challenges that can arise when training teens include shorter attention spans and vague goals, the latter of which can hinder a crucial step of identifying paths to success. With any client, Baum focuses first on determining what exactly they want, which can help set expectations, and a firm foundation of what to do next.
“(Also), a lot of them have a really huge goal, (saying) they’re going to be in the Hall of Fame, and they have yet to play a high school game,” he said. “A lot of uncertainty is what I feel from teens today.”
Baum’s professional development as a trainer began after a stint in the corporate world, where he first taught people how to communicate and give speeches. His first job with an athlete came in 1983.
From then on, he took industry courses and used practical application opportunities to solidify himself within the development world.
Establishing a desired result is a key part of efficiently training clients for progress, he said.
“We start with finding what they want,” said Baum. “We find out what their values are, what makes them click, and we link the values to what they want.”
The next steps include looking at strengths, whether athletically, academically, or otherwise, evaluating challenges and how to overcome them, and then asking the clients whether they’re willing to sacrifice to bring their dream to fruition.
“We do all that before we set a goal, and that’s what really makes this so different and so powerful,” Baum said.
His advice to parents, coaches and others who work with young adults is to have an undying belief in the children and that they shouldn’t judge teenagers’ athleticism or intelligence too soon.
He added that adults should let teenagers be themselves and nourish their growth and encourage them in the most positive way.
Growing up in a household with a mother who held an eighth-grade education and a father whose livelihood revolved around working on the farm and not excelling at school, Baum said he had to figure out how to succeed on his own.
“I had great parents, by the way; I’m not knocking them at all,” he said. “I think that’s why I see so many kids without that belief system, without the support.”
Despite the surplus of information available at teenagers’ fingertips because of advancements in technology, Baum still sees children struggling to become the person they want to be. With his book, he said his lessons will provide that help.
Baum has given away 960 books so far.
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San Clemente Times, Vol. 17, Issue 50. The SC Times (sanclementetimes.com ) is published weekly by Picket Fence Media, publishers of the Dana Point Times (danapointtimes.com) and The Capistrano Dispatch (thecapistranodispatch.com). Copyright: No articles, illustrations, photographs or other editorial matter or advertisements herein may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts, art, photos or negatives. Copyright 2022. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. San Clemente Times is published weekly by Picket Fence Media, 34932 Calle Del Sol, Suite B, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624. Application to Mail at Periodicals Postage Prices is Pending at San Clemente, CA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: San Clemente Times, 34932 Calle Del Sol, Suite B, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624.
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FACEBOOK.COM/SANCLEMENTETIMES • INSTAGRAM @S_C_TIMES TWITTER.COM/SCTIMESNEWS • LINKEDIN PICKET FENCE MEDIA GUEST OPINION | The Business Buzz by Jim Wynne & Arrow Santos
The San Clemente Chamber of Commerce would like to officially wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thanks for another great year of living in paradise all together.
As you finish your holiday shopping (or are just starting), the Chamber asks you to consider spending at local retailers when possible.
The businesses in San Clemente are almost exclusively owned and run by “real people” who are your neighbors: the person in line behind you at the grocery store, the mom cheering beside you at the Saturday morning soccer game, the family sitting next to you in church, or the friendly face serving up your favorite lunch.
By shopping locally instead of out-oftown or online, you support our vibrant beach town economy in a meaningful way.
The Chamber is so grateful to have such an abundance of small businesses within our town. Over the years, we have seen many mom-and-pop companies displaced by faceless corporations that can outcompete the little guys by focusing only on profits instead of people.
Investing your dollars back into our town ensures that the community values we treasure most will continue for future generations. These same businesses that line Avenida Del Mar and abound back in the business parks also account for most of the employment in San Clemente. By supporting these businesses, you are ensuring thousands of residents can remain employed and provide for their families in this community.
Additionally, we have fantastic local options to choose from, featuring a variety of awesome gifts. The Chamber enjoys seeing the many creative, practical, and cutting-edge new products that our San Clemente businesses bring forth. From the largest THE BUSINESS surfboard manufac-
BUZZ BY JIM WYNNE turer in the world to multiple e-bike companies, fashionista locations to authentic dining options, and from fur-family accessories to art and music lessons, there is something THE BUSINESS local for everyone BUZZ on your gift list.
BY ARROW SANTOS Because of our beautiful coastal location, many of our businesses earn a large chunk of their annual earnings during the warmer summer months. By our community intentionally shopping local during the end of the year, you give a wintertime boost to our beloved entrepreneurs who must provide for their families all year long—not just during the busy tourist season.
With great privilege comes great appreciation. We have the wild, unfathomable, mathematically improbable fortune of being in the fraction of a fraction of the humans on the globe who get to reside in the 19.5 square miles that we know as San Clemente.
For every family of four living here, there are approximately 500,000 people who live somewhere else. You, as an individual, are around eight times more likely to be struck by lightning in your lifetime than to currently reside in San Clemente, compared to those who don’t live here right now.
If you found out you only had a 1 in 123,000 chance of living to see tomorrow, I would hope you would wake up with great enthusiasm upon discovering you were still alive. Yet, those are the odds of you waking up here in our Spanish Village by the Sea every day.
Do you fully appreciate that this Christmas season? As the voice for the Chamber of Commerce, we say go forth and spend locally and generously, stimulate the economy, and happily acquire and gift much more “stuff.”
As your fellow unlikely neighbor, I say there’s no more excellent gift available in this town than already being in this town when needing to look for a gift.
Watch for lightning, reach out to someone you know who is alone this holiday season, and, sincerely, Merry Christmas. Until next year, Chamber of Commerce out.
Jim Wynne, president of WynneCRE, is a San Clemente local, San Onofre Surfing Club president, and father of five, who serves as the immediate past chairman for the San Clemente Chamber of Commerce. Arrow Santos is a San Clemente native, professional writer/photographer and marketing director of WynneCRE. SC
PLEASE NOTE: In an effort to provide our readers with a wide variety of opinions from our community, the SC Times provides Guest Opinion opportunities in which selected columnists’ opinions are shared. The opinions expressed in these columns are entirely those of the columnist alone and do not reflect those of the SC Times or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at editorial@sanclementetimes.com.
Letters to The Editor
SAN CLEMENTE’S CITY COUNCIL ELECTION
LEE VAN SLYKE, San Clemente
The citizens of San Clemente were fortunate to have so many qualified candidates seeking election to the City Council in 2022.
One unfortunate result is that the three candidates who were successful received only about 40% of the votes cast, while the other nine candidates, none of whom will serve on the City Council, received 60% of the votes cast.
This is not a criticism of the winners, who might well have won by larger margins in a smaller field of candidates, but rather of the style of vote counting we have chosen.
It would have been easy to ensure that each winning candidate received a large share of the vote. The solution is called “ranked-choice voting.” In the case of the City Council race with 12 candidates, each voter could rank the candidates from 1 up to 12.
Another benefit is that ranked-choice voting also minimizes the chance and cost of a runoff election.
Anyone else wish the members of the City Council had a larger share of the votes cast?
RESPONSE TO ‘BETTER TOGETHER’
DENNIS MURPHY, San Clemente
After finishing Mark Enmeier’s, “Better Together” wrapped around “one town, one team,” it is certainly refreshing to hear this from him—if true.
Of course, it would be much more appropriate to use “e pluribus unum,” since he claims alignment with “mainstream Democratic ideals.” Remember that old Latin term found on all U.S. coinage— “out of many, one”?
It’s a much more relevant motto signifying American unification, which sadly no longer exists. And we know the Democratic Party is to blame for this disunity and the new world dystopia we now see.
The so-called enemies he referenced were created from this disunity; hence, the “us vs. them” mentality. There is a huge laundry list as to what prompted this American division today, but the most glaring reason is the complete shutdown and suppression of free speech by Demo coercion and tyranny.
Thoughts and ideas which are pro-American, nationalistic, logical and rational intended to keep American life safe and strong are rejected. The party of John F. Kennedy’s America or Mr. Truman’s world is dead and gone, so saying you have mainstream Democratic ideals means absolutely nothing today!
The Democratic Party was hijacked; everyone let it happen. If Mr. Enmeier really believed (as he stated in his letter) that he and his neighbors “listen and respect” one another because they view each other as “more than just a political label,” then he should have left the idiotic Democratic Party, just like Tulsi Gabbard.
Become an American instead. Passing oneself off as aligning with the mainstream Democrat is silly, because they don’t exist. Fabian socialists, Democratic socialists, social Democrats, progressives, Marxists, Leninists and, of course, globalists all speak the same language. Look around.
As a registered Independent, I would hope I have some standing when I say that Republicans are the stupid party without spines, while the Democratic Party is truly the destructive party. If we are being intellectually honest, the Democratic Party is anti-constitutional, dangerous and weak. Truly un-American and the enemies of freedom. It’s easy to explain the us vs. them.
Photo: Adobe Stock
ENERGY DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ACCUSED OF GRAND LARCENY
JIM SMITH, San Clemente
I hope everyone interested in SONGS saw the news about the senior official in the Department of Energy’s Office of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition. Sam Brinton, the deputy assistant secretary, has been arrested twice and charged with felony theft for stealing women’s luggage.
First time at the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport and second time in Las Vegas. In both incidents, airport video showed Brinton traveled without luggage and then allegedly stole bags at baggage claim. They are now on leave from the job.
We all know everyone in the USA is innocent until proven guilty. In this case, though, the facts indicate the type of person the Biden administration appointed to this important position that impacts residents of San Clemente.
MEMORIALCARE/DUNCAN
MARY KNOX, San Clemente
So, new Mayor Chris Duncan wants all of us to be one big happy San Clemente family, and not attack the city. Well, that starts with him and his involvement with closed-door meetings at MemorialCare to develop the massive senior housing project and not disclose his involvement with other city councilmembers or the public.
This last election, he lost his bid for State Assembly, so I did some research into his state campaign contributions. While it would be difficult to relate these contributions directly to his involvement with MemorialCare, it does raise a suspicious link.
Go to sos.ca.gov/campaign-lobbying; Campaign Finance; Cal-Access Search and type in his name for contributions over $500. I added up over $150,000 of contributions from health care organizations and building trade unions.
Now, while we need to be cautious in directly linking these contributions to MemorialCare, it does raise questions.
Being one “Big Happy City Family” starts with our elected officials being trustworthy, honest, and transparent. I do not believe that is what happened with his involvement with MemorialCare.
AFTER THE ELECTION
DONNA VIDRINE, San Clemente City Council Candidate
While the final vote count of my election came in 23 votes short, just .03%, this race was absolutely worth running! I was excited to make a little history, but more excited to have a platform to serve San Clemente residents in a more impactful way.
Had I won, San Clemente would have had a majority of Democrats on the City Council for the first time ever. Because I lost, there will be no women representing our community on the council. That’s a real shame, because women bring a unique perspective to things.
I ran, not just because I am a woman, but because my years of civic and community engagement, my career in nursing, and my service in the military have given me a broad and deep understanding of the value of leadership and the importance of placing the needs and interests of people first.
This was not my race; it was our race. What I accomplished, I could never have achieved without the love of my family and the amazing support from organizations such as Women in Leadership, Democratic Women of South Orange County, and the Democratic Party of Orange County, along with so many friends from the local community.
A few that deserve special recognition are Laura Pephens, my treasurer; Ken Anderson, who organized and mobilized volunteers; Rachel Lowe, my website manager; and Beth Krom, my campaign coach.
I was also blessed to be surrounded by people who care as much as I do about the future of our city, including friends from the Garden Club, my church, the Rotary Club and Kiwanis. I know that passion will continue to fuel our collective efforts to ensure that our community’s future is strong and bright.
Thank you again, each and every one of you, for everything you did to help me on this journey.
I have no doubt that the momentum we built will pay dividends in many ways. This is our community, and it is unlike any other. I love living here, I love serving the community here, and I love you.
Have a blessed holiday.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY
San Clemente Times reserves the right to edit reader-submitted letters for length and is not responsible for the claims made or information written by the writers. Have something you’d like to say? Email your letter to sraymundo@picketfencemedia.com no later than 8 a.m. on Monday morning. Limit your letters to 350 words or less. Please send with your valid email, phone number and address for verification by staff. Your address and phone number will not be published.
Join SC Times for Beachside Chat on Friday, Dec. 16, at 8 a.m. Beachside Chat is a spirited, town hall forum on community issues hosted by PFM Managing Editor Shawn Raymundo every Friday. The chat will be held at Dorothy Visser Senior Center, 117 Avenida Victoria. All are welcome.
