After countless hours of studying in Norlin, I realize that the sun is dropping along with my blood sugar. My sole food intake of the day has been a Laughing Goat muffin, meaning my hunger level falls somewhere between ravenous and bloodthirsty. I turn to my friends who agree that fuel is necessary, and so begins the reiterations of “where do you want to go?” and “I don’t know. What sounds good?” and “I don’t know. Just pick something.”
We pile into the car and begin driving circles around Boulder, pausing ever so slightly at each of our usual eateries. Despite our growling bellies, nothing sounds supremely satisfying, and nobody can agree upon a location.
Then it hits me.
I want nothing other than a Double Double, an Animal Style Fry and a Neopolitan shake. My friends groan. “Why did you say that?” they wine. “There’s not an In-N-Out Burger in the whole state of Colorado, and now that’s all I can think of.”
When these conversations happened the first couple of times, my desire for a Colorado In-N-Out fix was more of a wistful yearning. However, after these much-discussed cravings happened repeatedly, I became angry. Colorado is an ideal state for a fast-food joint like In-N-Out, and I won’t stop preaching about it until I see this dream come to fruition.
Born and raised on the West coast, I quickly found solace beneath the yellow arrow and red palm trees that are indigenous to In-N-Out restaurants. One of the reasons why I kept coming back—aside from tasting like Zeus himself had descended from the heavens to personally prepare me this mouth-watering meal—was the obvious top-notch quality of the food.
Sure, I eat from various other fast food establishments, but I can confidently say that In-N-Out is the only one that never leaves me feeling like I want to curl up and die afterwards.
According to In-N-Out, this is because they only make hamburgers from cattle chosen specifically for In-N-Out Burger, and their patties don’t contain preservatives or fillers. The rest of their ingredients are said to be farm fresh, and they go so far to say that in their stores, there are no microwaves, freezers or heat lamps in site.
For such a health-conscious city as Boulder and a state that was ranked among the top 10 healthiest in the nation by the United Health Foundation, it seems odd to me that I see the golden arches in many shopping plazas but no golden arrows to speak of. Health nuts, unite! Even the fittest of them all have to have a burger hankering every now and then, so why not satisfy that craving with food that doesn’t leave you scared to read the ingredients?
As I grew older, my love for In-N-Out became so strong that I actually looked into working there. The thought of being surrounded by the smell of their food on a daily basis sounded like a little slice of paradise—like I was a young Spongebob Squarepants aspiring to work at my own Krusty Krab. What I found made me like the establishment even more. Workers start out making a minimum of $10 an hour and receive benefits like a 401k plan. A company that pays well for a service that is so often heard of underpaying its employees is welcome in my state, any day.
Talk of an In-N-Out’s appearance in Colorado has been circulating since 2011 when Denver City Councilman for District 8 Albus Brooks posted about it on his Facebook. Although he showed interest in bringing the business to Colorado, no further progress has been noted on that goal.
Don’t make me gag on another questionable meat substance that some fast food places claim to be burgers. Don’t deprive me another day of fries coated in melted cheese, that delicious secret sauce and fried onions. Coloradans, let’s take a stand. I demand an In-N-Out makes it way to this great state, and you should, too.
Contact CU Independent Opinion Editor Lizzy Hernandez a tElizabeth.hernandez@colorado.edu.