The hype is real in the In-N-Out world. A 12- to 14-hour wait for a burger?
Loyal legions of fans of the California-based chain In-N-Out Burger showed up en masse Friday as Colorado welcomed the first two In-N-Out restaurants in the state.
As the Aurora and Colorado Springs outlets opened, some customers stood in line for almost two hours. By the afternoon, cars and trucks in the drive-through line numbered as many as 150 vehicles at the Colorado Springs location, according to The Gazette, whose news partner KKTV said customers were reporting wait times of four hours.
Denny Warnick, In-N-Out’s vice president of operations, said the reception was “beyond our expectations.”
The first in line at the Colorado Springs location, Ken Vizzini, arrived Tuesday night.
“I had time off so I decided to just come down Tuesday and make sure I was the first one,” Vizzini told The Gazette. “It’s just been a fun and exciting experience. I don’t regret doing it.”
In Aurora, police had to help control the crowds and customers told the local ABC affiliate that they waited nearly 14 hours to get their hamburgers, fries and shakes.
“It’s official, traffic is double double animal style right now all around the mall,” Aurora Police tweeted. “We are on hand helping manage the massive traffic response.”
A later post warned of a 12-hour wait, and another said the line “wrapped around the mall twice.”
As for the competition, locals say they’re not worried.
“We joke all the time about how we’d love to have a contest with In-N-Out,” Anissa Hornsey, co-owner of the Drive-In Tasty Freeze, told the Gazette.
According to the In-N-Out website, in addition to California and Colorado, the fast-food chain already has locations in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas and Oregon.
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