Holy Double-Double! In-N-Out Burger reveals plan for Idaho.
I’m ready to eat my words, Boise — and, eventually, a fat Double-Double.
Five days after I crushed Idaho’s spirit by suggesting that In-N-Out Burger appeared to be a long shot to expand here, I’ve got news.
The most wished-for fast-food chain in Idaho officially has put the Gem State in its expansion cross hairs. (I can admit when I’m wrong. Go ahead and rub salty fries in my wounds. I love it!)
But we’ll have to be patient, OK? And begging won’t help.
“While we are still in the earliest planning stages,” said Denny Warnick, In-N-Out’s vice-president of operations, “we do anticipate serving Double-Doubles in Boise in the not-too-distant future.”
Quiet, fools! Stop jumping up and down squealing! This is the most concrete information we’ve ever received about In-N-Out opening here. You need to hear the rest of this ... .
“We’re grateful to hear frequently from loyal customers in Idaho who wish to have their own In-N-Out Burger nearby,” Warnick continued via email. “Our president, Lynsi Snyder, has given us a five-year goal to turn that thoughtful feedback into reality.
“We’ll meet that goal,” Warnick promised, “and we’re looking forward to joining the wonderful community there.”
Five years, Idaho! The Prez of In-N-Out has set a target date!
That’s actually kind of a long time to wait for fast food.
Will we be able to survive until then?
Many In-N-Out junkies will be thrilled just having an actual commitment to join the Gem State. As if Idaho needed yet another reason to attract West Coast transplants, right? (We should thank them. Without In-N-Out-addicted Californians, the Irvine-based chain might not be planning to open restaurants here at all.)
In 2017, I conducted a poll of Idaho Statesman readers asking which chain restaurant should come to Boise. It was a massacre. A decisive 44 percent of the 4,588 votes were cast for In-N-Out Burger. The next closest restaurant was White Castle — at a mere 8 percent.
And if you just can’t wait for In-N-Out to expand here? You can always move to Franklin, Idaho. It’s only 20 miles from a new In-N-Out planned in Logan, Utah. That state has 10 In-N-Outs — with more on the way.
In the meantime, I’ll kill time by praying for Taco John’s to return to Boise.
This story was originally published October 23, 2020 at 4:00 AM.