Popular franchise coming to eastern Idaho will be the first one with a drive-thru. Here’s when it will open
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IDAHO FALLS – Locals are thrilled with the news that Honey Baked Ham is opening a permanent location in eastern Idaho this fall.
EastIdahoNews.com reported in August the company was opening at 3502 South 25th East inside Kingwood Plaza in Idaho Falls.
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John and Zina Chilmark are the franchisees. We spoke with them Tuesday inside their 2,000-square-foot building that’s still under construction. John provided an update on when they’re planning to open.
“Our projected opening date is the beginning of December — first or second week,” John says.
It was originally slated for completion in November, but working out the details for a new amenity has taken longer than anticipated.
Zina says this will be the first location with a drive-thru. Though it’s a retail store, it will have a menu where customers can place orders for lunch.
“Lunchtime is sandwiches, soups, salads — things like that,” says Zina.
They’re considering opening the drive-thru for dinner as well.
This particular location was appealing to them because of its proximity to other retailers and the large amount of traffic in the area. They’re excited to unveil the second location in the Gem State to the community.
Honey Baked Ham advertises itself as “the world’s best ham.” Its products include hardwood-smoked, spiral-cut ham with sweet, crunchy glaze. It also offers smoked and roasted turkey breasts, frozen side dishes and desserts, along with a full line of lunch and catering options.
Some of the side items include green bean casserole, corn bread and stuffing.
The Chilmarks are newcomers to the retail/restaurant industry. John’s worked as an electrician and in IT for many years. Zina previously worked as a real estate appraiser. Both of them are longtime customers of Honey Baked Ham, and they’d always map out where the nearest Honey Baked Ham was on family trips.
“Even if we had to go out of our way, we’d go there for our family dinners. Usually on Thanksgiving or Christmas, we’d get all 18 of us together. It was one of those things where we’d say, ‘We love this and it makes memories,'” says John.
The process of bringing a store to eastern Idaho started in August 2022. The Boise store opened three months later.
The Idaho Falls couple are looking forward to working in the Honey Baked Ham store full time.
“So far, it’s been a great experience. We love everyone we’ve worked with at Honey Baked, the franchisees we’ve been able to talk to. It’s a great community of owners,” says John.
They’re working with the Idaho Falls Community Food Basket to be able to provide food donations in the future.
And they’re toying with the idea of opening a second store once this one is up and running, depending on how the Idaho Falls store performs.
Honey Baked Ham in Idaho Falls will operate Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
