COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — In-N-Out Burger is hoping to open its first Colorado restaurant in late 2020, The Gazette in Colorado Springs reported.
The wildly popular and cult favorite burger chain announced in November 2017 that it would bring its “animal style” burgers, fries and shakes — and long lines — to the state.
The Irvine, California-based chain is making Colorado Springs its regional headquarters where it plans to build a nearly 100,000-square-foot distribution center and a 150,000-square-foot office building.
The distribution center and offices will be built in the Victory Ridge mixed-use project on the north side of Colorado Springs at InterQuest and Voyager parkways.
In documents submitted to the city and reviewed by The Gazette, new details are emerging as In-N-Out works to nail down its expansion plans into Colorado.
In-N-Out plans to begin construction of a distribution center and patty production plant in the spring with completion in summer 2020. They would be built southwest of InterQuest Parkway and Federal Drive.
The chain’s first Colorado restaurant would be built southeast of InterQuest and Voyager parkways.
The Gazette reported, citing documents, the 4,772-square-foot restaurant will have a single-lane drive-thru and open in “late 2020.”
“All of our focus at this time is on the plans for two initial projects in Colorado Springs: A distribution center and hamburger patty production facility that has to be open and operating prior to the first store opening in Colorado, and an office building to follow,” In-N-Out vice president of real estate and development Carl Arena told The Gazette.
“It is great to be able to report progress being made, although we are still likely two years away or so from serving our first double-double in Colorado. We are very much looking forward to that day, and we appreciate our customers in Colorado that have shared their anticipation with us as well.”
When the announcement was made last year, it was reported the distribution center could serve up to 50 restaurants within 350 miles of Colorado Springs.
Arena told The Gazette that he does not know how many locations the chain will have in the state.
“While we continue to develop our plans for our first store locations in Colorado, it would be premature to speculate on the total number of restaurants that will eventually operate there,” he told the newspaper. “We do know that growth will be deliberate and controlled; that has always been part of our strategy here at In-N-Out Burger.”
In-N-Out started in Baldwin Park, California, in 1948 and has more than 325 restaurants in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Texas and Oregon.
It’s menu consists of a hamburger, cheeseburger, double-double (two patties with two slices of cheese), french fries, drinks, shakes, milk and coffee, but there are also several off-menu items available, including “animal style” burgers and fries.
A reason for a long-awaited expansion into Colorado is because In-N-Out did not have a distribution center nearby.
In-N-Out delivers food fresh daily to its restaurants instead of freezing it, making it fresher and more popular. In turn, its legion of fans swarm the restaurants, especially when they open in new markets.
When the first restaurants opened in Texas in 2011, there were long lines of people waiting to get their hands on the burgers.