Burger lovers wait 8 hours to try Idaho’s first In-N-Out

They were anything but in and out.

Burger lovers were so desperate to try Idaho’s first In-N-Out they waited up to eight hours in line — with some even camping out overnight.

The excitement for the California-based chain’s celebrated patties, fries, and shakes was so intense that hundreds were already waiting for the drive-thru when it opened in Meridian on Tuesday at 9 a.m., much earlier than typical hours,  the Idaho Statesman reported.

The demand meant it was anything but fast food — with signs soon warning those joining the massive line to expect seven- to eight-hour waits, the outlet said.

Some customers even decorated their cars for the festive occasion.

“Idaho gots its first In-N-Out and it’s absolutely sit-n-wait,” one X user joked alongside drone footage of the line of cars.

One couple, Marvin and Jackie Mejia, told the paper that they joined the line around 8:44 a.m. — and were still about a dozen cars away from the drive-thru over two and a half hours later.

The couple – who are originally from the Los Angeles area, where In-N-Out Burgers are easy to find – have “been waiting for this day since April,” Jackie told the outlet of when the Idaho branch was announced.

Despite the long wait, Marvin joked that they will return “probably tomorrow.”

Another pair of California transplants, Miranda and Chase Presson, took their chances waiting on the in-person order line outside, which seemed to move faster, the Statesman noted.

Even so, it took over 45 minutes for the couple to receive their order – including a “Flying Dutchman” burger off the “Not So Secret Menu.”

Some customers huddled under outdoor heaters while workers managed orders and checked on patrons.

The Meridian In-N-Out is the chain’s first Idaho location, and its 400th nationwide, the Statesman noted.

The company brought in an “all-star team” of employees to manage the blockbuster opening.

But 20-year-old Diego Lopez – who works at an In-N-Out in Yucaipa, California – traveled to Idaho to enjoy the opening with his friend Riley Lovato, of Boise, he told the Statesman.

Lopez arrived at 5 a.m. hoping to be the first customer and qualify for a free-burger coin, but was already beaten out by dozens of cars and people “tenting out” near the front door, he told the outlet.

“I think, why I like In-N-Out so much, is because they really value the associates, the guests and the community. It’s not just about the burgers,” Lopez added.

Some locals, however, decided to skip the opening-day craze.

Dennis and Doris Du Bois, of Eagle, told the Statesman they would return when the “frenzy is over” in a week or two.

Doris, 81, said that she appreciated how In-N-Out prints Bible verses on its food packaging: The milkshake cups, for example, bear Proverbs 3:5, while the soda cups are emblazoned with John 3:16.

“They have really good quality food and it’s inexpensive compared to a lot of places,” she told the outlet.

Some area residents complained about the traffic from the opening on Boise Food Finds, a private Facebook group, the Statesman reported.

“Was it possible to choose a worse place? I’ll wait months for the crowds to die down before I go,” one commenter, Anamaria Zavala, wrote on the In-N-Out’s impact on the already-busy intersection.

“Who cares. It’s a hamburger,” Whitney Laursen chimed in.

Two more Idaho In-N-Out locations are planned for Nampa and Boise, the outlet said.