Humboldt County loves hamburgers
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In 2020, Humboldt County sure loved reading about hamburgers.
The excitement about the arrival of an iconic hamburger stand in Humboldt County came to a head with news of the impending arrival of In-N- Out opening in Eureka.
While the pandemic delayed the opening for a few months, the burger joint began serving up meals in July and long lines have packed the drive-through ever since.
In-N- Out management kept things simple. Staff allowed limited customers inside at a time and set up just a few tables, six feet apart, along the outdoor patio. The restaurant appeared to be following social- distancing guidance brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, despite hefty traffic.
“We originally had plans to open this restaurant in March,” said Denny Warnick, the company’s vice president of operations.
“We were ready to go, but that was obviously a time of a lot of uncertainty with the shelter-in-place orders,” Warnick continued. “In the time since, we have built in a lot of precautions and we’re real confident we can protect the health and safety of our customers and associates.”
When reached this month, Warnick confirmed the Eureka burger joint’s first customers received a special In-N- Out coin.
“We have felt very welcomed in Eureka, and we are excited to be part of the wonderful community there,” he said.
Asked how business was going given the regular long, long lines in the drive-through months after opening, Warnick said, “unfortunately, as a private, family- owned company, we don’t comment on sales or other business results.”
Across town, the Surfside Burger Shack, another popular burger spot, was put up for sale in September by its owners.
While the restaurant was doing well and had sales over $360,000 annually in 2018 and 2019, the couple who owned Surfside decided to move on. Armanda Fernandez and Daniel Dixon said they chose to sell the restaurant in a turnkey state for $45,000 to pay it forward to members of the community during a difficult financial time for many people.
“Generally, you would sell a restaurant that’s been successful and profitable consistently for two times what your net profit is,” Dixon said. “We initially listed it at that, but then it just became quite obvious that this is a scary time for people.”
In November, Esteban Brabo purchased and reopened Surfside. He said he chose to keep the menu the same and things “are fine,” he said this month.
“We were ready to go, but that was obviously a time of a lot of uncertainty with the shelter-inplace orders. In the time since, we have built in a lot of precautions and we’re real confident we can protect the health and safety of our customers and associates.” — Denny Warnick, the company’s vice president of operations