The In-N-Out Craze Hits Colorado
Growing up in Denver, Colorado, I was aware only peripherally of the brand names that dominate other parts of the country. I had heard of Ralph’s, but only ever shopped at King Soopers. I knew of Dunkin’ Donuts, but had only tried it on visits to New York. At some point, I heard about California’s In-N-Out Burger and the fact that it was wildly acclaimed by devotees who were willing to wait in long lines for what seemed like relatively ordinary food. I processed this fact and rarely thought about In-N-Out again.
Over the years, as the tide of corporate expansion continued across the US, I watched as some of these foreign brands opened their first Colorado locations. We finally got a Dunkin’ Donuts, a Krispy Kreme, a Rita’s Italian Ices. And then, just this past Friday, we got our first taste of the In-N-Out craze.
In-N-Out Comes to Colorado
The first two In-N-Out locations in Colorado, one in Aurora and another in Colorado Springs, opened this Friday, to lines the length of which I would never have imagined possible.
At one point on Friday afternoon, I saw a tweet from the Aurora Police Department declaring that the wait time at the new In-N-Out was 12 hours. Two hours later and that number had grown to 14. The line of cars waiting for the drive-through was estimated to be 2 miles long, and the traffic caused backups on nearby highways. The first customer to be served had been waiting in line since Tuesday, but those with less foresight had to wait in a line so long that shrewd Twitter users pointed out it would be faster to drive the 11 hours to the In-N-Out in Las Vegas for their burger fix. Those waiting in the long line were at least afforded some entertainment in the form of a fight that broke out at some point in the afternoon. The cause of the altercation is not clear, but I can only assume someone was getting exceedingly desperate for a burger.
Will In-N-Out’s Expansion be Successful?
From a marketing perspective, it is, of course, far too early to tell whether In-N-Out’s expansion to Colorado has been successful. The overwhelming demand of the first day could fizzle out, and the California cult chain could be forced to make a sulking retreat back to California. However, a few points indicate that In-N-Out will likely find success in Colorado.
The introduction of a brand a few states away from where it was born is obviously different than introducing a brand to an entirely new country, but some of the same considerations need to be taken into account. In Marketing: The Core, Roger Kerin explores the topic of bringing brands global, and advocates for a cross-cultural analysis to be done, one that takes into account the cultures of both the country of origin and the destination country for a brand, to better understand how a brand may need to adjust its strategies for a new audience. I would argue that, especially when it comes to food and various regional tastes, a cross-cultural analysis is still an important tool even when expanding a brand domestically.
The good news for In-N-Out is that a simple cross-cultural analysis will find that both Californians and Coloradans appreciate a good burger. (I must disclaim that I do not have data to back this up, but I’ve got a pretty strong hunch.) Another optimistic point for In-N-Out is that many Coloradans are actually from California. In fact, in 2018 alone, 28,000 Californian transplants arrived in the state. And finally, though the brand began in California, it has successfully expanded to Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Utah, and Oregon, so it’s safe to say it’ll do alright in Colorado too.
Now, is there anything In-N-Out could have done better in their expansion to Colorado? I’d like to say the infrastructure to serve customers faster and avoid 14-hour lines would be nice, but as a marketer, I think the publicity from such a spectacle could only have helped build even more hype for the cult brand. My one suggestion: try to keep the fistfights to a minumum. As they say, it’s all fun and games until somebody spills their In-N-Out milkshake.
