In-N-Out Burger Inc.’s plans to enter Colorado are several years away, even though the company has property under contract for a distribution center and offices, an executive said Tuesday.
The Irvine, Calif.-based burger chain has signed a contract to buy 22.4 acres in the Victory Ridge mixed-use development in north Colorado Springs.
“We are very early in the planning process in Colorado, and I would anticipate that we are still over three years away from opening our first restaurant,” said Denny Warnick, In-N-Out’s vice president of operations, in answer Tuesday to emailed questions.
In-N-Out said it was planning a beef-patty production facility and distribution center to supply restaurants within 350 miles the Colorado Springs location.
Lynsi Snyder, owner and president of In-N-Out, said in a statement that facility would allow the brand to expand regionally.
“Our commitment to fresh food is ironclad, so our stores have to be within a certain distance from our distribution and processing centers,” Snyder said in statement. “Building a new center in Colorado allows us to open stores farther to the north and east than would otherwise be possible with our current facilities, and still maintain the highest quality product for our customers.”
Snyder said Colorado consumer demand for the popular California-based brand was also a factor.
“Coloradans have been asking for In-N-Out Burger for years, so this is a natural move for us and we’re glad to accept the invitation from our many friends there,” she said. “The fresh, people-oriented, family-friendly culture of the state will be a great match for our own company culture.”
In-N-Out this week was named one of the Top 5 “Best Places of Work” in a survey of users of the job-review platform Glassdoor Inc.
Snyder said she also had a personal connection to Colorado.
“For me personally, this is a great move and I’m looking forward to spending more time in Colorado,” she said.
“I’ve always loved it there — the beautiful mountains and forests, the change of seasons, the incredible range of outdoor activities, the more relaxed pace and the focus on family,” Snyder said. “I’ve spent a lot of time there as a visitor, because these are all things I value, so I’m excited and happy to now be a real part of the amazing family and business communities of the Centennial State.”
In-N-Out ranked No. 59 in Nation’s Restaurant News latest Top 100 census with an estimated $844.2 million in U.S. systemwide sales for the fiscal year ended December 2016.
In-N-Out has 328 restaurants in six states.
The privately held brand was founded in 1948 in Baldwin Park, Calif., and first expanded beyond its home state to the Nevada market in 1992. The company opened its first unit in Arizona in 2000, Utah in 2008, Texas in 2011 and Oregon in 2015.
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