Lard have mercy! A Boise restaurant cooked over 10 tons of bacon this year. Want a bag?
“Praise the lard!” John Berryhill likes to quip.
A chef and restaurateur, Berryhill has cooked gourmet bacon in downtown Boise since 1995. Complementing his now-defunct restaurant Berryhill & Co. in 2011, he launched Bacon. The breakfast-and-lunch mecca has since moved into the former Berryhill & Co. space at 121 N. 9th St., where it’s a popular tourist stop.
Between the two restaurants and catering, Berryhill cooked a couple of tons of bacon that first year. But things have gotten much porkier over time.
In 2021, Bacon has cooked more than 10 tons of the sizzling stuff — and counting. That’s a record for the restaurant. Gleefully gluttonous customers are pigging out like never before.
“Maybe Idaho thinks with bacon, who needs vaccines?” jokes Berryhill, who has been a leader among local restaurant owners when it comes to striving for safety during the pandemic.
Precooked Bacon Bags, which the restaurant began selling in-house about six months ago, have helped drive sales. And just in time for the holidays, Bacon has launched an online store at baconboise.com carrying the same one-pound bags of ready-to-devour Berryhill bacon.
Described as “sweet, with a lil’ chile heat,” these Bacon Bags are double-sealed for freshness and delivered straight to your — or your favorite person’s — door. They cost $18 plus shipping.
John Berryhill’s son, Bacon co-owner Gibson Berryhill, led the charge to create an online shopping destination. Each day, he says, orders roll in. And most are gifts.
“A lot of people during the holidays, instead of sending flowers or whatever, they’re sending bacon,” Gibson explains.
“We’ve got a package going to Greece today,” his dad marvels. “This new website has really pushed up our bag sales.”
Bacon nonprofit
You can feel good about spending money with Bacon. The business contributes a percentage of its bottom line to Bacon For Hope, its nonprofit. In 2019, Bacon for Hope completed its first project, building a new outdoor basketball half-court on the campus of Hope House in Marsing. Hope House is a home for kids who are emotionally impaired, developmentally disabled or from failed adoptions or dysfunctional families.
Bacon for Hope should finish reconstruction of Hope House’s football field and track soon. Then, in 2022, the plan is to begin a solar farm project to help offset Hope House’s annual power bill, which can range from around $80,000 to $100,000, Gibson Berryhill says.
“We’re very excited for this,” John Berryhill adds.
As if anyone needed another reason to be fond of bacon.
Oh, and one more cool thing about Bacon? It’s a college athlete magnet. Basketball players, football players, you name it: The restaurant has served many over the years. And maybe even nailed down a few out-of-state commitments.
“Recruits love Bacon,” Berryhill proclaims with a chuckle. “... Their percentage goes up for wanting to come to Boise when you’ve got some kid that likes bacon.”