Colorado’s Double-Double dreams are coming true: In-N-Out Burger is officially coming to the state.
The cult-favorite California burger chain, which has been rumored to be coming to Colorado in the past, is under contract to purchase 22 acres in north Colorado Springs, where it will build a distribution center capable of supporting 50 (yes, 50) restaurants within 350 miles of the facility.
The first Colorado store will open in Victory Ridge, a new mixed-use development. A Denver In-N-Out will open at the same time or soon after, said Andrew Klein, principal at Westside Investment Partners, Victory Ridge’s owner.
“This is actually happening. We’re under contract to sell land to In-N-Out Burger,” Klein said. “I’ve had to keep my mouth shut for six weeks now. It was not easy.”
Now the bad news: Klein said we’re still a couple years away from achieving burger bliss. The distribution center and administrative office must be built at Victory Ridge before the restaurants can follow.
In-N-Out spokesman Carl Arena confirmed the news in a statement to The Orange County Register: “In-N-Out Burger is excited to be in the early planning stages of its expansion to the state of Colorado. Colorado Springs is an ideal community for us to locate facilities to serve surrounding markets with fresh ingredients, including meat patties produced locally.”
Denver City councilman Albus Brooks, who hails from southern California and is a self-proclaimed In-N-Out fan, has been lobbying for years to bring the burger chain to Colorado.
“Once a year I sent them an email, some demographic work and why it’s (Colorado) a good fit for them,” Brooks said. “We’re an amazing market for them. I think this is a huge win for Colorado Springs. It’s a big win for the state.”
Brooks said that the stalling issue seemed to be the meat commissaries and where to put them. After all, to keep up the super-fresh quality that In-N-Out is known for, it needs to have production facilities close by to supply the restaurants. He’d suggested Greeley, but Colorado Springs won out.
“That’s gonna be their hub for Colorado,” Colorado Springs’ chief of staff Jeff Greene said of the Victory Ridge development. “When Mayor John Suthers came into office, his emphasis was on building a collaborative environment. You’ve seen a major uptick in investment in Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region. I think having that collaborative environment encourages this type of investment.”
Greene said the city has not had any discussions with In-N-Out about potential economic incentives. “They’re really committed to the Colorado market, and you’ll really see them growing this market over the next few years,” he said.
Earlier this year, Shake Shack announced its expansion into Colorado, with a representative estimating that that burger spot will open in Denver in early 2018. With Shake Shack, Steak ‘n Shake and the homegrown Larkburger and Smashburger, will the local burger market already be saturated by the time In-N-Out gets here? Will we be over hand-cut fries and real ice cream shakes?
Doubtful.
“There’s probably no brand on the food scene in Denver more anticipated than In-N-Out,” said veteran Denver restaurant consultant John Imbergamo. “It really doesn’t matter whether the quality of In-N-Out exceeds some of these other burger guys. It’s the perception. The brand has been so built up in our heads, mostly by its scarcity.”
In-N-Out currently operates more than 320 stores in California, Utah, Texas, Arizona, Oregon and Nevada. Despite its celebrity status in the fast-food burger world, the family-owned chain has been notoriously reluctant to expand, choosing to keep up quality rather than franchising or going public.
Southern Californians know the lore well: Harry and Esther Snyder opened the first drive-thru hamburger stand in California in 1948. When Harry died in 1976, their younger son, Rich, took over as In-N-Out’s president, adding more locations throughout California and expanding into Las Vegas. Their older son, Guy, became vice president.
Then came the tragedies. In 1993, Rich died in a plane crash, and Guy took over until he died of a drug overdose in 1999. Esther ran the company until her death in 2006, and a few years later her only grandchild, Lynsi, took over. Earlier this year, upon her 35th birthday, Lynsi gained full control of the company, making her one of the nation’s youngest billionaires.
In-N-Out spokesman Arena, who is currently traveling around Colorado, said the company is “extremely fortunate to have a number of loyal customers in Colorado and they have been encouraging us to open locations there for some time.”
While there’s no need for those loyal customers to break out the tents and sleeping bags to camp out for the opening yet, the In-N-Out watch is officially on.
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