In-N-Out Burger Inc. has plans to enter its seventh state, Colorado, and has land under contract for a distribution center, offices and an outlet in Colorado Springs, Colo., parties to the deal confirmed Thursday.
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, said developer Westside Investment Partners Inc. in a press release Thursday.
In-N-Out representatives had not returned calls or emails Friday, but company spokesman Carl Arena told The Orange County Register: “In-N-Out Burger is excited to be in the early planning stages of its expansion to the state of Colorado.
“Colorado Springs is an ideal community for us to locate facilities to serve surrounding markets with fresh ingredients, including meat patties produced locally,” Arena said.
In-N-Out said the beef-patty production facility and distribution center could serve up to 50 restaurants within 350 miles of its location.
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.
Westside said the contract to buy land is the first step for In-N-Out, as the city will have to approve the regional facility’s development.
“At this point, no timeline is established for the initial opening date, with the contract with Westside representing the first step toward bringing the In-N-Out Burger brand to Coloradoans,” the company said.
“Westside counts itself amongst the devout followers of this iconic hamburger establishment,” said Otis Moore, a Westside principal, in the statement, “and we look forward to this creating more opportunities for this development.”
Westside’s Victory Ridge is a 153-acre mixed-use development located about 15 miles north of downtown Colorado Springs and it overlooks the U.S. Air Force Academy campus, the company said.
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 more than 325 restaurants in six states.
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