Chain opens 1st Idaho restaurant in 40 years — in Meridian. Drive-thru wait? ‘Massive’
As In-N-Out Burger’s earth-shattering debut showcased recently, there’s something about a California fast-food chain opening in Idaho that potentially triggers frothing-at-the-mouth hysteria.
So here we go again.
Wienerschnitzel, the biggest hot-dog chain on the planet, unveiled a small restaurant Friday at 3110 W. Quintale Drive in Meridian. It’s the brand’s first Idaho location in over 40 years, according to a media release.
Naturally, chili dog fever soon erupted.
Patience-testing lines have greeted customers, according to online comments. We’re not talking In-N-Out-level madness — but still: “There was a massive wait at the drive-thru line,” one Google reviewer wrote, “but I learned from In-N-Out to just go stand in the wait line outside, which only took me about 30 minutes.”
As is the case with anything California-related, not all Idahoans understand the fuss. “Imagine waiting in line to stuff a wiener in your mouth,” joked one Facebook commenter.
Yo, these aren’t ordinary wieners, believers will tell you. These are chili cheese dogs “topped with Wienerschnitzel’s world famous Chili sauce,” as the menu says, “made from a secret recipe.” These are Junkyard Dogs that include “everything but the kitchen sink.” Nowadays, Wienerschnitzel stores even offer vegetarian versions such as a Chicago veggie dog.
Wienerschnitzel diehards also scarf down the chain’s french fries, hamburgers — and, yes, desserts. Wienerschnitzel sells Tastee-Freez soft-serve ice cream in the form of shakes, cones and sundaes. Tastee-Freez is owned by the same parent company, Galardi Group. Founded in 1961 in Wilmington, California, Wienerschnitzel now franchises 340 restaurants in 11 states, according to the media release.
The Meridian store is the first of three Wienerschnitzels planned in the Treasure Valley. Details about where and when the other restaurants will open were not shared in the release.
But adding Wienerschnitzel to the arsenal of chain restaurants in Meridian definitely raises the junk-food daredevil ante. Need proof? Check out the stats on Wienerschnitzel’s #7 Crowd Pleaser combo: four chili dogs, four corn dogs and four chili cheese fries. It clocks in at a scale-demolishing 4,240 calories.
“The vast number of inquiries requesting to bring the brand into the market has been staggering,” Ted Milburn, U.S. director of franchise development, said in the media release. “Boise is ready.”
Bring on the second and third Wienerschnitzel locations. Somewhere, Idahoans in the know probably are already forming a line.
