The smell of greasy french fries fills my nostrils, as I grab my juicy burger and a frothy chocolate milkshake. When I look around the restaurant, I see it’s packed with people.
Since 1948, In-N-Out has been flipping what is arguably one of the burgers around the United States at the company’s first store in California.
Ever since, the chain has been sharing its food talent with America. However, chain establishments are located in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Texas.
Whenever I visit an In-N-Out, it’s always overflowing out the doors. The crowd size rarely ever changes. That’s because they are dedicated to serving fresh food to customers.
Even though the menu only consists of a few burgers, french fries and three different flavors of milkshakes — In-N-Out has always been a family staple. No matter what you order, it will be amazing.
Yet, we aren’t graced with that simple delicious menu here in Idaho. It’s a shame. Zips might be the one thing that nearly stacks up, but it doesn’t have In-N-Out’s famous flavor or atmosphere.
That’s why Idaho needs an In-N-Out.
According to the company, the reason for not expanding outward is because In-N-Out’s food quality comes first. It isn’t like any other fast food restaurants in this regard. The chain cares much more about quality than usual.
Back in June, In-N-Out closed a Texas stores because of a bun shipment sent in. The company’s bun expectations weren’t met, so the location closed until those expectations were met.
That says a lot about a company — especially in the fast food world.
This shows quality matters above sales. The company wants customers to leave walking out the door with a smile spread across their face just like their famous burgers.
Every restaurant should have this kind of attitude, and if it doesn’t, it’s serving the wrong kind of food. Food quality is important, so when you’re eating soggy fries from McDonalds think of In-N-Out’s bun pandemic.
In-N-Out wouldn’t let you eat soggy fries. That’s why the company has distribution centers with fresh ingredients for their food.
The company also refuses to serve frozen food. It’s required to be fresh. Consumers should know the type of food they’re putting in their system.
The only problem with the distribution center, is that there aren’t many of them. The centers need to be at least 500 miles away from an In-N-Out burger. Which is about 7 hours away.
There is a distribution center located in Utah that is in the right distance frame required to get to Boise. That’s the only chance Idaho fans get at achieving an In-N-Out location in Idaho.
Yet, we still don’t have this classic restaurant in Idaho. My father and I travel to certain areas of the west coast just to fulfill our In-N-Out addiction, but the shortest distance we need to go is 6 hours away. It’s too far.
In-N-Out owners hear my call. I ask for course of action to be taken in building one of your glorious food franchise restaurants right here in Idaho.
Lindsay Trombly can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @lindsay_trombly