Cheyenne's nearest In-N-Out Burger is open! (Cruisin Thru has closed their truck)
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| In-N-Out Burger's now open Sign at the new Loveland location - Optopolis |
At least some Cheyenne residents have already long-since felt the hype of In-N-Out Burger, and it's closer to Cheyenne now than ever before--the chain restaurant, that is. Here's some history, a glance at the oddity of Cheyenne's local In N' Out, and what the Loveland In-N-Out Burger looks like on day one.
Loveland's In-N-Out Burger used to be Mimi's Cafe!
Previously, the land in Loveland, Colorado where In-N-Out Burger (the chain brand) currently sits used to be a Mimi's Cafe. As discussed in the abandoned video on the main Optopolis YouTube channel, Mimi's Cafe in Loveland was built in 2004 (as noted in the Larimer County Property Assessor) at the Centerra Marketplace off of I-25 and E Eisenhower Blvd.
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| Loveland's Mimi's Cafe as seen in 2022 - Optopolis |
The Loveland Mimi's cafe was the nearest Mimi's location to Cheyenne until it closed in 2021. As seen in the video linked above, the building had eviction notices posted around the building. As soon as April 2021, there was already talk of In-N-Out Burger opening in Loveland. Demolition of the Mimi's cafe would begin in early March 2023.
Cheyenne used to have In N' Out, but it's not the one you think.
In N' Out (aka Cruisin Thru) is a former restaurant in Cheyenne that many Cheyenne residents will recall. It was located on the west corner of W 5th St and Central Avenue before Family Dollar was built.
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| Cheyenne's In N' Out after converting to Cruisin Thru, seen 2011 - Google Maps Street View |
Cheyenne's In N' Out dates back to 1953 according to several posts including this article from 101.9 KingFM. As shared in this article by Grateful Mike, they ran into a dispute with the California-based In-N-Out Burger. Interestingly, the California-based brand has held its name in Wyoming since 1985 according to the Wyoming Business Entity site.
Cheyenne's In N' Out would rebrand to "Cruisin Thru," but their physical location closed up shop in 2013 after selling the land for a new Family Dollar store, the third of three Cheyenne locations to be built. Family Dollar would be built in 2013 as noted in the Laramie County Property Assessor (not to be confused with the Larimer County Property Assessor of Larimer County, Colorado).
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| Family Dollar sits in the area that Cruisin Thru once did. - Optopolis |
Although the physical location closed, Cruisin Thru wasn't totally gone for good. They later reopened as a food truck that went around Cheyenne, their Facebook page noting that they were the old Cruisin Thru that was on the corner of S Greeley Hwy and 5th St, "next to the Lamp." As soon as August 2020, they had started the process of setting up shop in a food truck as seen in this Facebook post of theirs.
The truck was placed at many different locations throughout the city over the years including but not limited to the following:
- Beach Please Drink Company
- AMVETS Post 10
- Black Tooth Brewery
- The former Wonder Bread Outlet store, and
- The Cheyenne Depot Plaza (Downtown)
The year 2022 brought a glimpse at what'd soon come to be; Cruisin Thru posted in November 2022 that they were selling their food truck. When March 2023 rolled around, the "soon-to-be" came to be; they announced that they had made the decision to permanently close the truck. At this time, it's unclear here at Optopolis whether they'll come back in some form--or if the closure of the food truck was the final chapter of the local brand.
Loveland's In-N-Out Burger gets built and opens.
By May 2023 as seen on 99.9 The Point, construction on the new In-N-Out location was underway on what would be the first Colorado In-N-Out location north of Thornton.
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| In-N-Out Burger in Thornton Colorado that sits just south of the Denver Premium Outlets, seen long before the Loveland one was built - Optopolis |
In-N-Out Burger would announce that the Loveland location would be opening on Friday, November 10th, 2023, and that's exactly what it did!
Being there was a sight for one to see. Just for dining alone, there was a line of diners running clear out the front door and (at times) into the parking lot. The parking lot was tightly packed with cars, but not as much as the drive thru! They were expecting lots of car/drive thru traffic, and that's exactly what they got!
Drivers visiting the new In-N-Out Burger were encouraged to use the parking lot entry by Joann's that intersects Hahns Peak Dr, as the left turn from Fall River Dr would be blocked. Cars lined the entire drive thru (which wraps around the building and the parking lot). More queue space for the drive thru was placed just north of the restaurant in extra parking that usually would be used mainly by other shops and restaurants at the Centerra Marketplace.
Employees and traffic control officers would direct traffic to help aid in the congestion around the area. Slowly but surely and one car at a time, drivers were allowed to leave the queue and enter the drive thru lane.
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| Drive Thru Queue as seen in this video on Optopolis' Vault and embedded above - Optopolis |
With Loveland getting its first In-N-Out Burger, it leaves a question for some: Will In-N-Out Burger come farther north to other cities such as Casper, Scottsbluff, Laramie, Cheyenne, or Fort Collins? At this time, it's not clear here at Optopolis whether In-N-Out will come up this way or not.
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