Apparently, the honeymoon is far from over for the In-N-Out Burger that opened at El Con Mall on April 24. Tuc- sonans continue to line up on foot and in the fast-food restaurant's drive-through lane a month later.

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The festive air of the restaurant's opening is long over, but Tucsonans' appetite for In-N-Out hamburgers seems nowhere close to waning.

A month after Tucson's first In-N-Out Burger opened near El Con Mall, the restaurant is still drawing long lines at its doors and 20 cars or more at its drive-through around lunchtime.

The response has come as a surprise to the Irvine, Calif.-based, family-owned chain — even though long lines are typical at new restaurant openings, especially in new markets, said Carl Van Fleet, In-N-Out's vice president of planning and development.

The April 24 Tucson opening at 3711 E. Broadway was the chain's busiest to date, he said. He added that he has been surprised by how strong the demand remains weeks later.

"It doesn't happen every time we open a new store," he said.

At lunchtime Wednesday, the drive-through line stretched back about 20 cars, well into the parking lot of a former Krispy Kreme. As many as 25 people were lined up outside.

That popularity might mean that more In-N-Outs are on the way for Tucson.

In addition to a Marana location planned for late summer, Van Fleet said In-N-Out is interested in added another restaurant in Tucson. But he said that would depend on whether the East Broadway location stays as busy as it has been so far.

"I try not to make too many decisions based on the first three or four weeks of business," he said.

Several customers waiting in line at the In-N-Out on Wednesday said they were also surprised by how busy the restaurant has been. Many said they had made an effort to stay away until after the lines shortened a little.

On opening day, more than 100 vehicles snaked through the El Con Mall parking lot, waiting in the drive-through. At least the same number of people were also standing in line outside. The company temporarily opened a mobile kitchen on the site to handle the throngs.

University of Arizona juniors Jenny Holman and Amanda Condit, who were waiting in line Wednesday, said they drove by the restaurant several times over the past month and were amazed by how many people were waiting outside.

"I think people in Tucson were probably a little more excited about it than some other places are," said Holman, a longtime In-N-Out fan from Southern California. But she added that even though lines were still long on Wednesday, it seemed to be not too much busier than typical In-N-Outs.

"No matter where you are, In-N-Outs are always very busy," she said.

Customers reported waiting about 20 minutes or so to be served during Wednesday's lunch rush — down considerably from the hours'-long waits reported on the opening.

Some customers said they were pleased with the pace of service Wednesday.

"They're really pretty fast," said retiree Nancy Wiseman. "It looks like mass chaos in there with everybody running around. But they seem to get your order right."

Founded in 1948, In-N-Out now has about 200 locations in California, Nevada and Arizona. The restaurant has developed a cult following for its simple fresh-ground hamburgers, fries and shakes, and has garnered many off-the-cuff endorsements from celebrities such as socialite Paris Hilton and chef Julia Child.