A few weeks ago a post started appearing on Facebook saying, “In-N-Out is coming to Boise!” It was a hoax, and who knows how it got into people’s feeds, but they shared it and a lot of people (including myself) clicked on it. To what avail, I don’t know. Perhaps my computer is now host to some virus or Trojan horse or something equally pernicious.
Overall, the lesson is that you should not trust everything you see on social media. I’m sure there are people running around now telling others that In-N-Out is coming to Boise, and that if if is coming to Boise then it is coming to Idaho, which means Idaho Falls could be getting one.
I would not hold my breath.
Companies like In-N-Out never say anything until they’re ready to make an announcement. Their answer could be “no” one day and “yes” the next. It’s maddening, but I’ve seen it happen.
Based in Irvine, Calif., In-N-Out doesn’t franchise and its policy is to not build any restaurant too far from one of its distribution centers.
"At In-N-Out Burger, we make all of our hamburger patties ourselves and deliver them fresh to all of our restaurants with our own delivery vehicles," In-N-Out vice president of planning and development Carl Van Fleet told Business Insider earlier this year. "Nothing is ever frozen. Our new restaurant locations are limited by the distance we can travel from our patty-making facilities and distribution centers."
It’s true the company has a distribution center in Draper, Utah, which is less than a day from here. Is that close enough?
Actually, the history of In-N-Out’s entry into Utah is interesting. In June 2007, the company’s customer service department started getting calls from people asking if In-N-Out had opened a location in American Fork under a different name, Chadder’s. The look was similar, as were trademarked items on the menu.
In fact, when In-N-Out's general counsel paid a visit he requested an “Animal style Double-Double with Animal fries.” He got what he asked for, and on the basis of that Utah District Court Judge Ted Stewart issued a temporary restraining order. Chadder's changed its color scheme and practices, but in 2009, In-N-Out opened a restaurant in American Fork, less than a mile away from Chadder's restaurant. After that, seven more In-N-Outs popped up in the Salt Lake Valley. Chadder’s soon went out of business.
Since then, In-N-Out has shifted its focus to Texas. The nearest In-N-Out to Idaho Falls is in Riverdale, north of Salt Lake City. Is expansion northward possible? Of course, but simple geography would suggest that more locations in Utah would be likely before anything came here.
Perhaps someone in our area wants to build an In-N-Out wannabe and deliberately infringe on their trademarks in hopes of luring them here. I can think of better things to do with my time.
While I’m on the subject of hoped-for things, I might as well tell you that it doesn’t look like Costco is coming anytime soon. In 2012 I discovered a site called addictedtocostco.com that features frequent updates on where the chain is building and planning new stores.
Judging by what it says, local Costco lovers are going to have to continue driving to Pocatello for the time being. The list of stores opening imminently is as follows:
Wichita, Kan. -- June 3, 2015
Mobile, Ala. -- June 4, 2015
Rochester, N.Y. -- June 5, 2015
Perrysburg, Ohio -- June 18, 2015
Pleasant Prairie, Wis. -- June 19, 2015
Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico -- June 2015
Beyond that, there are stores opening in Japan, Taiwan, Spain, Korea and Canada. Indeed, the world may be Costco's oyster, but poor little Idaho Falls appears to be chopped liver. Sorry.