The beloved hamburger joint selling classic burgers, fries and shakes with the option to smother them in its signature sauce, cheese and onions will have its grand opening at 735 Harvest Moon Drive, according to a .

The fast food chain will feature one drive-thru lane, indoor seating for 84 people and a covered patio with outdoor spots.

All locations are open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Vince Mendoza, who has worked at In-N-Out for 16 years, will manage the Longmont location, the release states. The restaurant will employ around 50 people at when it opens with a starting wage of $19.50 per hour.

The location is the chain’s 14th Colorado location. There are locations in Arvada, Aurora, Brighton, Castle Rock, Denver’s Central Park neighborhood, Lakewood, Lone Tree, Loveland, Parker and Thornton and three locations in Colorado Springs.

It was a gentle kiss atop the bun, only half-serious. But this middle-schooler knows a good burger. He meant it.

We were having a quick dinner at TwansBurger, a small trailer that¶¶Òőap parked most evenings at Finn’s Manor, an indoor-outdoor cocktail, wine and beer bar at 2927 Larimer St. in RiNo. Twan’s serves precisely one main course: A lacy-edged, double-patty smashburger with American cheese and a tightly edited selection of fresh toppings.

A side of piping hot fries is the only other menu item. The eternal goal is to build the perfect cheeseburger, order after order. For chef Antoine “Twan” Villaume, the cheeseburger is a practice.

Actually, don’t call him “chef.”

“I really enjoy cooking, it¶¶Òőap something that I love to do,” Villaume said. “But I think people are way too comfortable with calling themselves chefs. To me, it¶¶Òőap something that requires way more than being able to cook a cheeseburger properly.”

This is Twan’s way: A meltingly soft Martin’s potato bun. House-made sauce and pickles.

”A few diced white onions to give it that pop, that crunch, that sort of lively energy,” said Villaume. “Some really thinly shredded lettuce, not too much. Two or three slices of pickles, depending on how big they are. Then double-stacked patty meat.”

Cheese goes between the two meat patties, with another slice on top to seal the deal.

“To me, it needs to have American cheese,” Villaume said. “It melts perfectly and becomes one with the meat patty.”

“I’ve had cheeseburgers with really high-end French cheeses and I was like, ‘dude, you (expletive) the burger and the cheese,’” he said. “We’re in America, do what you want, [but] I happen to entirely disagree with that culinary inclination.”

The finished TwansBurger is rich with cheese and sauce, balanced by cool, crisp lettuce and pickles. Tendrils of the smashed beef patties extend delicately out of the toasted bun.

The flavor is pure, nostalgic comfort, like drowsily watching an episode of “Cheers” at bedtime.

“[I try to] hit that note: childhood, summertime, cooking burgers with your family in the backyard,” said Villaume. “If I can somehow recreate that emotion, I want to.”

Villaume started his restaurant career in wine and cocktails, first in Paris, then in Los Angeles. Cooking was a hobby on the side.

“People ask me all the time, ‘How did you learn how to cook?’” said Villaume. “My answer is always, ‘By drinking wine.’ I was in the wine biz for a while, and you spend your time breaking down wine, analyzing it, and that mindset starts to apply to everything that you ingest.”

He began his cheeseburger project while still in LA, experimenting with friends in his home kitchen.

For Villaume, the ideal cheeseburger sits somewhere between the quick-and-dirty fast-food burger — he cites In-N-Out as a favorite — and the pricier versions dished up at high-end spots.

“By that point, you’re not really having an American cheeseburger,” Villaume said of the more luxurious sandwiches. “You’re having some sort of hybrid — like, sauce Mornay, GruyĂšre cheese, brioche bun. In my book, it¶¶Òőap not what the classic American cheeseburger is.”

The quest continued after Villaume’s move to Denver in 2020. He worked stints at acclaimed hotspots like The Wolf’s Tailor and Uncle, then started TwansBurger in 2021.

“Being in Colorado, which is, like, the land of cattle, we have access to amazing beef here,” Villaume said. “I just started popping up here and there. Next thing I know I had a line around the block and people were demanding more.”

In the city that birthed the SmashBurger chain, Villaume hopes to stand out with a sharp focus on ingredients, like sourcing the perfect mix of beef for the burgers.

“We grind our beef twice a week, which is taking all my time, all my life,” he said. “But it¶¶Òőap worth it. Keep it simple, keep it real. Try not to reinvent the wheel. It never works.”

Expansion is on the horizon. Villaume started offering TwansBurger on DoorDash in early September. Eventually, he’d like to open a brick-and-mortar location with a larger selection of food and drink.

The burger, however, will remain the same.

“Every single part of that burger is extremely important,” Villaume said. “It¶¶Òőap a perfect equation, don’t (expletive) with it. I did not invent this burger. It was made long before me. It¶¶Òőap a song I’m trying to play correctly.”

Twan’s tips for making your best smashburger at home.

1. Use beef with a high fat content. “You need, bare minimum, 25 percent fat,” Villaume said. Cuts like brisket, ribeye or prime rib can get you there.

2. Pound the patties thin. Do not fear the salt. “Spend some time learning how to season your food properly,” said Villaume. “That¶¶Òőap probably the best tip I can give anybody.”

3. Don’t use a nonstick pan. Villaume recommends a hot, well-seasoned cast iron. “Your meat has to sear,” he said. “It has to stick to the pan.”

4. No butter on the buns. “I don’t think butter has a place here, as much as I love butter,” Villaume said. “Toast dry, get a nice, toasty, firm crust, not too dark. Get it a nice brown.”

5. Make your own pickles. “I think most commercial pickles are trash,” said Villaume. “They have no nuance. It’ll cost you $4 in cucumbers [to make your own].”

6. Keep it light and enjoy yourself. “Don’t forget the most important part of eating is it¶¶Òőap supposed to be a pleasurable thing,” he said. “One day at a time, one (expletive) at a time, you’ll get there.”

The California fast-food chain is bringing its famous Double-Doubles and Animal-Style fries to the Arvada Marketplace shopping center. The building at 7494 W. 52nd Ave. is still under construction, so there’s no solid opening date yet, according to Mike Abbate, In-N-Out’s vice president of store development. It usually takes eight to nine months to build a typical In-N-Out and open for business, he added.

This will be In-N-Out’s 10th Colorado location, including Castle Rock, Lakewood, Aurora, Central Park and two in Colorado Springs. The company is in the midst of a statewide building spree, proposing additional sites in Parker, Longmont, Brighton and Timnath.

“We’ve been privileged to serve our customers in this beautiful state for nearly four years, and we’re excited to welcome them to our newest Colorado location in Arvada,” Abbate said.

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A red-capped beaver, the mascot of the super-sized, Texas-based travel centers, was front and center on outdoor signs and throughout the 74,000-square-foot store as a crowd flooded through the doors that opened at 6 a.m. Monday in Johnstown.

The store is the first Buc-ee’s in Colorado and the company’s farthest west. The grand opening drew hundreds of people, many of whom waited outside for hours. The crowd included first-timers along with devotees of the on-steroids gas station and convenience store.

Gerry Almaraz drove in from Scottsbluff, Neb., for the opening, arriving at midnight Sunday. He’s been to several Buc-ee’s in Texas but had never gone to a grand opening.

“I wanted to experience that at least once in my life. I’m not sure when they’re going to open another one so I thought hey, let’s give it a go,” Almaraz said. “I love Buc-ee’s.”

And he explained why. “Nostalgia, the feeling that everybody knows Buc-ee’s. The food is good. So are the snacks, the people.”

Company officials were waiting to see if Buc-ee’s would generate the same kind of buzz that the entry of other regional favorites to the Colorado market have. Crowds turned out for the first Krispy Kremes and In-N-Out Burgers.

“Sometimes we have a hundred people, sometimes 200, sometimes 300 waiting outside for hours on end for 6 a.m.,” said Josh Smith, director of operations for Buc-ee’s.

Smith estimated 400 to 500 people were waiting Monday morning to be welcomed inside out of the 30-some-degree cold.

“Some of them have been here since 10 last night. There’s just a lot of energy, excitement,” said Smith, whose visit to northern Colorado marks his 28th grand opening of a Buc-ee’s.

The Johnstown store is tied with a Buc-ee’s in Tennessee for being the world’s largest convenience store, Smith said. But not for long. The original Buc-ee’s location in Luling, Texas, is being replaced with a center slightly more than 75,000 square feet.

“We’re rebuilding it to make it the world’s largest so Texas can have that title back,” Smith said.

Aidan Pearis of Longmont, was dressed in a Buc-ee’s Christmas sweater over a Buc-ee the beaver hoodie. His brother, Doug, was more low-key. His paraphernalia was limited to a Buc-ee’s ball cap.

The younger brother goes to school in Atlanta and stops at several Buc-ee’s traveling back and forth. “I’ve been to 15 different Buc-ee’s already,” he said.

What’s the attraction? “It has an aura. I don’t know,” Aidan said.

“There’s something unique about it,” said Doug, who makes some of the trips.

“And on a road trip it has like the best food, the best bathrooms,” Aidan said.

“To me personally it just reminds me of driving back and forth,” Doug said.

“Yeah, good memories, fun times,” Aidan added.

Asked how he would describe a Buc-ee’s to people who are new to the stores, Smith replied, “sensory overload.”

“From all the different things that you see when you walk through the doors, to all the different smells, from the savory brisket being chopped on the board right in front of you to the nuts being roasted,” Smith said. “It¶¶Òőap just sweet and savory and the sights are just overwhelming.”

There are outdoor barbecue pits. The stores sell camping supplies. Food and snacks run the gamut from brisket sandwiches, fudge, freshly made pastries and beaver nuggets, which are caramel-coated corn pops.

And there are what fans say and the company swears are “the cleanest restrooms in America.” The ones in the Johnstown store feature red and green lights above the long rows of doors to signal which stalls are occupied or open.

Outside, there are 116 fuel pumps and 12 charging stations for electric vehicles. and 18-wheelers aren’t welcome at most of its 48 sites,

The company has said its travel centers are “optimized for passenger vehicles.”

Smith said Buc-ee’s decided to build a store in Colorado because Denver is a major hub with a lot of traffic flowing through it. The company located the store in Johnstown in northern Colorado because of its accessibility and the community’s receptiveness.

The store is at the southwest corner of Interstate 25 and Colorado 60. The address is 5201 Nugget Road, The region is one of the fastest-growing in the state.

Johnstown Mayor Troy Mellon said the town is “thrilled to welcome the first Colorado Buc-ee’s.”

“Buc-ee’s is recognized as a premier retail destination that will attract customers from far and wide, thereby enriching our regional economy,” Mellon said in a statement.

The store’s anticipated annual sales will be about $25 million, Mellon said. He joined other local officials for a grand opening ceremony later in the morning.

The new store has a staff of approximately 250 full-time employees. The pay is in the $18-$22 range and benefits include medical and dental coverage and a 6% matching 401(k) contribution after one year on the job.

It didn’t take long for the throng of shoppers to fill baskets and carts. There were plenty of stuffed Buc-ee beavers, T-shirts, hats and beaver nuggets piled up at the checkouts.

Chip and Liz Wasson of Fort Collins were still walking around, checking out the offerings. Chip has been to a couple of the stores in Texas.

“This is my first time in one but I’ve heard a lot about them,” Liz said. “It’s wild.”

Chip said the Johnstown store is pretty much the same as other locations he has visited. “Which I think is a good thing for Buc-ee’s,” he said. “It’s a good representation of Buc-ee’s-ness if you will. I think it will be a good in-between northern Colorado and Denver, a good place to stop.”

Updated at 8:08 a.m. Tuesday, March 19, 2024, to insert street address of store.

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“We hope to open a restaurant in Longmont,” Mike Abbate, In-N-Out Burger vice president of store development, said in an email. “We’re currently in the development application process, so it¶¶Òőap still too early to say if, or even when, we will be able to open a restaurant there.”

The proposed location for the restaurant is southwest of the Colo. 119 and Harvest Moon Drive intersection, not far from .

Longmont Acting Planning and Development Services Director Grant Penland said in an email Friday that In-N-Out Burger had a preliminary application meeting with city staff in September.

“As the next step in the development review process, prior to submitting a formal application for development, In-N-Out is hosting a neighborhood meeting,” Penland said.

That will occur, online, at youtube.com/@cityoflongmont beginning at 6 p.m. on March 14.

Abbate said that when construction begins on a new In-N-Out Burger, it usually takes eight to nine months before the restaurant is completed and opens for business.

“Therefore, it would be premature to comment on a timeline for an opening date or when we will even achieve our development application approval,” Abbate said.

In-N-Out Burger opened its first restaurant in California in 1948 and expanded its footprint into Colorado in 2020 with locations in Colorado Springs and Aurora.

It also has several other locations in Colorado including one that opened recently in .

“We’re very grateful for the support we’ve received from our customers in Colorado, and we’re excited about the prospect of opening a location in the wonderful community of Longmont,” Abbate said.

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The proposed location would be the latest in the fast food chain’s Colorado building spree and would feature 3,887 feet of building floor area, according to submitted in January. Additionally, the 1.58-acre lot would be taken up by a drive-thru and 52 parking spots.

“At this stage, we are in the development application review phase, so it¶¶Òőap still too early to say when, or even if, we will be able to open a restaurant there,” said Mike Abbate, vice president of store development, in a statement. “Once we do begin construction on a new location, it usually takes us eight to nine months to build a restaurant and open it for business.”

The proposal is currently in the review process, according to the site plan. Upon completion, it would be Colorado’s 10th and northernmost In-N-Out franchise, according to .

“We know the Timnath area is a wonderful community, and we are excited about the prospect of opening a new location there to better serve our customers in the near future,” Abbate said in the statement.

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But that doesn’t mean you have to break the bank every time you don’t feel like cooking for yourself. The publication has also analyzed Google ratings for 28,000 budget-friendly restaurants across the U.S. to rank The list included three Denver spots, each of which has a $1 sign on Google’s cost scale and 200+ reviews.

Turtle Boat Colorado Poki Salads

Ranked No. 15 on the list, Turtle Boat, 2231 S. Broadway, serves poke bowls with ethically produced fish, ranging from $10 to $18; they include Alamosa-raised bass and Idaho-raised trout.

Urban Burma

Colorado’s first Burmese eatery came in at No. 43 on the list. Located inside Aurora’s Mango House food hall, Urban Burma, 10180 E. Colfax Ave., serves dishes like Shan noodles and beef curry. Everything on the menu is under $20.

Rise & Shine Biscuit Kitchen 

This Denver staple has been serving breakfast biscuit sandwiches since 2010. There are three locations: one near Sloan’s Lake, another in Wash Park and a third that recently opened in Lakewood. Everything on the small menu is under $10.

Denver ranked 14th for budget-friendly restaurants among the 50 U.S. cities. USA Today also ranked every American fast-food chain based on how high their average Google review rating was at the time of the analysis.

The top fast-food chains in Denver are as follows in order: In-N-Out Burger, MOD Pizza, Chick-fil-A, Torchy’s Tacos and Potbelly.

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The California fast-food chain filed a site plan with Brighton’s community development department to build a restaurant at 2088 Prairie Center Parkway, according to a on the city’s website and first reported by . The site plan is listed as under review.

There are currently eight In-N-Out locations across the Front Range, according to the company’s website.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

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The rule will go into effect Aug. 14 for employees at the chain’s locations in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Texas and Utah, according to internal company emails leaked on social media last week. Employees who then choose to wear a mask will be required to use an N95 provided by the company.

In-N-Out Burger did not immediately respond to email and phone messages Tuesday.

In California, which has a law preventing employers from banning masks, and in Oregon, In-N-Out will continue to allow employees to wear masks if they choose, but they may only wear the N95s provided by the company.

In October 2021, In-N-Out had to temporarily shut down its San Francisco location because it refused to comply with the city’s requirement that all restaurants check vaccine cards for indoor diners.

The company said at the time that it refused “to become the vaccination police for any government.” The establishment reopened later that month, but only for outdoor dining.

This article originally appeared in .

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The local chef, along with Denver restaurateur Juan Padro and Dis Burrito’s Michael Fox are officially opening Fox and the Hen, at 2257 W. 32nd Ave. on Saturday, June 10.

will serve fun twists on classic American breakfast dishes, like sausage rolls with a spicy maple dipping sauce, a Big Mac-inspired omelet, and hash browns served “Animal-Style” (a take on In-N-Out fries) or “Trout Style” with smoked trout roe and creme fraiche. The breakfast tacos with chorizo, scrambled eggs, cheddar, pico de gallo and crema on flour tortillas, are Baird’s favorite menu item “today,” she said.

“I can’t believe how much pico de gallo we’re going through,” Baird laughed. “I need a whole other person just to make it fresh everyday.”

There’s also a full indoor/outdoor bar, serving playful cocktails, including “Bryan Cranston’s Bloody Mary” with the actor’s Dos Hombres Mezcal, and a coffee shop.

The “Fancy-Ish Toast” includes one with pea pate, cream cheese and heirloom tomatoes on homemade sourdough English muffins, or a spin on a croque monsieur. And of course, Baird is adding the huevos rancheros that secured her the crown in her appearance on another cooking show, “Beat Bobby Flay,” calling them “Beat Bobby Flay-vos.”

“Opening my own breakfast spot has always been the dream since I was a little girl,” Baird said. “My father loved to cook and passed that on to me. We would daydream of opening our own breakfast restaurant, and I could see myself pouring coffee and making eggs for my guests. When I was in culinary school, we were often given assignments to design a restaurant and for me, it was always breakfast.”

This will be Baird’s first brick-and-mortar concept. She is a partner in Padro’s Culinary Creative restaurant group and is the executive chef of the restaurant group’s Americana division, which includes three Tap & Burger locations and, now, Fox and The Hen.

Fox owns , a wholesale burrito business he started in 2020. Padro is a longtime friend of Fox’s, and let Fox get Dis Burrito up and running in A5 Steakhouse’s kitchen before it opened. When Fox started looking for new spots for his commercial kitchen, he stumbled upon Fox and The Hen’s new space, but thought it was the perfect place for a breakfast joint. When Fox pitched it to Padro, he brought Baird on board as partner and executive chef.

Fox is adding a grab-n-go window for his breakfast burritos and drip coffee, which is set to open in the next few weeks.

The trio signed a 20-year lease for the space, which seats 50 inside and 40 on the patio. It¶¶Òőap down the street from Padro’s Highland Tap & Burger and Bar Dough concepts in the West Highland neighborhood. They’ve gutted the former Cebiche space and invested around $1 million in the renovation, including adding a hot sauce wall, fun playful printed wallpaper and a neon sign that reads “I Wanna Do Right But Not Right Now.”

Fox and the Hen will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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