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In-N-Out expanding to fourth state: Utah
February 14th, 2008, 10:33 am · 16 Comments · posted by Nancy Luna, Staff Writer
In-N-Out Burger is stretching its small, but wildly popular burger empire further East as company leaders confirmed long-awaited plans to open a restaurant in Utah.
“Yes, we are under construction in Washington City, Utah,” In-N-Out executive Carl Van Fleet told me in an email.
The move marks a huge step for the Irvine-based fast-food chain, which has limited its restaurants to California, Nevada and Arizona over its 60-year history. To maintain quality, the chain has a policy to keep new restaurants within 500 miles of its Baldwin Park distribution center. This allows the company to deliver fresh burger patties every few days to stores.
Van Fleet said the new Utah eatery will not stretch operations. Washington City is near St. George, in the southwest corner of the state, he said.
“St. George and Washington City are under 400 miles from Baldwin Park, Ca. It’s only about 100 miles from Las Vegas so easily reachable from Baldwin Park,” said Van Fleet.
Van Fleet said In-N-Out has no other plans to build outside its core base of California, Nevada and Arizona. The Utah restaurant is slated to open by late spring, he added.
The community is already in abuzz. The developer of the retail center where In-N-Out is under construction said he’s not advertising the opening of the restaurant because he doesn’t want “a circus,” according to a Utah college newspaper report.
“The reason we don’t want to advertise the opening date is because at other (In-N-Out) openings there were people sleeping over and news helicopters overhead,” developer Larry Sorden told the Dixie Sun. “So it was beginning to be a circus every time they opened another store.”
I don’t really get what Borden is talking about. He should be thrilled to get In-N-Out craving campers on opening day.
Maybe Utah isn’t quite ready for the splash that comes with a new In-N-Out.
What do you think? Write in, and let me know.
Related links:
- In-N-Out sues Utah copycat chain, Chadders
- In-N-Out cuts ties with Chino slaughterhouse
- In-N-Out tops Zagat survey for cheap eats
- Is Five Guys better than In-N-Out?
- OCR reporter Nancy Luna’s behind the scenes tour of In-N-Out’s burger factory
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I’m so excited. My grandparents live in Washington City and now we finally have a good place to go grab some burgers.
What about Colorado?
It’s just as well that In-N-Out don’t go further east since Rallys/Checkers already has similar business with better variety.
They’re better off to stay in the area where they’ve already built a base and cater to those who’ve moved from California to nearby states.
It’s not that he doesn’t want crowds - my guess is that as word gets out, there’ll be a zoo as is. I went to BYU, and the highlight of the California-bound trip home was stopping in Vegas for In-N-Out. I will bet you, honest to goodness, that BYU college kids will make daytrips and drive the four hours to Washington City (close to better-known St. George) for an In-N-Out fix. The center’s owner’s concern about pandemonium is legit. Why waste money on advertising when there’s already major demand?
It’s not that he doesn’t want crowds - my guess is that as word gets out, there’ll be a zoo as is. I went to BYU, and the highlight of the California-bound trip home was stopping in Vegas for In-N-Out. I will bet you, honest to goodness, that BYU college kids will make daytrips and drive the four hours to Washington City (close to better-known St. George) for an In-N-Out fix. The center’s owner’s concern about pandemonium is legit. Why waste money on advertising when there’s already major demand?
Hmmm, now I’m craving some In-N-Out… mmmmm, cheeseburger…
Also, he probably doesn’t know the exact date of opening. Most restaurant openings in new developmetns are moving targets. Anyway, any one in UTAH: Keep us posted if you hear anything.
Nancy
hooray!!!!! it is about time and i will be making the 4 hour trip from provo for a “fix” of in n out! Yeah!!
I’m excited i live in Washington, Utah and i love IN-N-OUT so i am soooo excited to have a decent burger fries and a shake…
Im stoked
its about time…
like for real we go to DEL TACO every WED. because…i dont really know why…but we do so now we just have to go across the parking lot and BAM the BEST burgers EVER and shakes and actually pretty good home made french fries…
I live in Washington City and love in-n-out. We’ve waited for it and now it looks almost complete. We already have people who are calling and say they will camp out to be first in line. I’ll just wait in line and take my turn!
Utah is ready! The day I saw the signs on the outside of the building go up, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I almost wrecked my truck. My friends from SLC who grew up in So Cal are extremely jealous. In-N-Out has the best burgers ever!!!
Just ate at the In-n-Out in Washington City last night for their private party. It was good, but still think Marv’s is just as good if not better. They officially open today April 22, 2008 at 10:30 am.
Thanks for the tip Bob… Look out for an official post this morning.
Disappointed that no hope has been tendered for those of us in the Northwest who crave and are nostalgic for the In-n-Out experience… When moving my wife from San Diego to Yakima our last stop in San Diego was In-n-Out near I-5 Balboa interchange, and our last stop before leaving California was at In-n-Out in Redding. The inland Northwest is much like the Southwest so my wife and I often see hope-induced mirages of the bright arrow pointing us to In-n-Out. Even though Carl’s Jr. has appeared in our area In-n-Out remains absent.. .. . Somebody please put in the good word for us with either Mr. In or Mr. Out. We’ll roll out the red carpet for them up here… even if it is about 1000 miles long!
Hint to “In-N-Out:” Open a second point of distribution, i.e., Salt Lake City. From there, base of new expansion could be reached to long awaited markets, i.e., Southern Idaho (I live in the Boise area and there is a BIG market potential here), Eastern Oregon, Colorado and, naturally, Northern Utah.
This is just a thought. Anyway, if it was cost effiecnt, the company’s policy of home produced baked goods, fresh veggies as well as beef and dairy products could still remain intact without resorting to frozen food. Again, that’s just a thought.
Greg,
I think this has been at the center of the family fight a few years ago. The founders were very deliberate in their expansion. The heir who now basically owns the company wants to expand and has been very successful in the last few years. Tough to blame her since the demand is there. The supposed reason of keeping things within reach of one meat processing plant was to maintain quality. No reason they shouldn’t be able to do so with just 2 plants assuming their supply is the same. Fuel costs have to be killing them right now. Trucking fresh supplies 500 miles isn’t efficient. By building a second plant, their fuel costs drop and they can expand their reach substantially over time. I am surprised it hasn’t happened already. I would think they will move more towards Texas rather than NW.