Why Idaho’s Favorite Fast Food Burger Restaurant Is a Total Joke

You don’t try to make a habit of eating fast food, but sometimes the day doesn’t just play out the way you thought it would. 

A last-minute meeting popped up at work and kept you in the office longer than you had planned. You want to get food on the table for the family as quickly as possible, so you hit a drive-through. No time for a proper sit-down meal between commitments? Grab a value meal. You discover that the food you were planning to make for dinner has gone bad. Fast food is so much easier than grocery shopping for new ingredients!

Whatever the reason you’re grabbing fast food, we’re not going to judge. Heck, we actually look forward to McDonald’s during Lent because having a Filet ‘o Fish with the family on Fridays was something we remember fondly. 

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That said, we are going to hard-core judge the “research” that jewelry store Shane Co. did to determine the most popular fast-food burger restaurant in each state. In order to compile their list, they surveyed people in every state asking the question “Which fast-food restaurant has the best burger?” They got over 2,000 responses.  From there, they analyzed Google Trends data from 2021 and 2022 for named burgers at the most popular restaurants in each state. They combined the results to put together the final list. 

So…what’s the most popular fast-food restaurant in Idaho? Based on their methodology, it’s one you can’t even visit in Idaho! Yup, In-N-Out Burger got named the most popular fast-food restaurant in the Gem State.

Don’t get us wrong. We’re not calling In-N-Out Burger itself a joke. We love a Double Double Animal Style just as much as the next guy. We’re calling the fact that a fast food restaurant was named the most popular in a state where it doesn’t exist a joke! But it’s a joke that we think we can explain. 

The study looked at Google Trends data from April 2021-April 2022? Well, news that In-N-Out officially filed for a permit to build a location at The Village at Meridian broke in March 2022. A month later, public records showed that they were looking at the defunct Pier 1 Imports at the Boise Town Square Mall as a second Idaho location. Naturally, Idahoans who’ve been wishing for an In-N-Out Burger for years were Googling the news! Just because we were Googling “In-N-Out” doesn’t mean that we were eating there. 

Wondering how close are we In-N-Out becoming a reality in the Treasure Valley? Construction is underway at The Village at Meridian and it's surrounded with In-N-Out coming soon signage. It could be completely by September if there are no delays.

Meanwhile, over by Boise Towne Square Mall, In-N-Out filed the paper work to knock down the old Pier 1 and vacate existing easements ahead of construction of the Boise location. We can't say with 100% confidence that's what we're seeing but this is what that parking lot looked like on Easter Sunday 2023. 

Shane Co’s pick for the most popular fast-food burger in Idaho makes a lot more sense. They said it was the McDonald’s “McDouble.” Think it’s a little strange that a jewelry store commissioned this research? Apparently, they were trying to determine where couples preferred to go for fast-food dates, whether they were dining in or hitting the drive-through. ::shrug:: 

If you're looking for some quality local burgers to try BEFORE In-N-Out opens in Boise, these are 10 that you can't miss!