Here’s what’s happening to Sweeto Burrito building in Idaho Falls
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IDAHO FALLS – The abrupt closure of Sweeto Burrito at 2090 East 17th Street in Idaho Falls after six years of business took customers by surprise. The building has been sitting vacant for the last several months, but a new tenant will be moving in soon.
The Chicken Shanty, an Oregon-based restaurant, is slated to open in June. Co-founder Tyson Miltenberger tells EastIdahoNews.com they’ve taken over several other Sweeto Burrito locations in the Gem State and the Idaho Falls store will be the first one in eastern Idaho.
The menu includes chicken sandwiches, wraps, strips, wings, desserts and drinks. Miltenberger says they serve high-quality, cage-free chicken without antibiotics, hormones or steroids.
“We do everything from scratch that we can. Most all of our sauces are made from scratch in-house,” Miltenberger says. “Our chicken, our breading is our own recipe.”
Customers can watch the chicken being breaded at the Idaho Falls location.
Miltenberger and his wife, Erica Mote, opened The Chicken Shanty in 2020 in their hometown of Medford, Oregon.
“We’d been in the restaurant business for a few years and we had this idea of doing a drive-thru food cart because they wouldn’t allow people in restaurants (during the lockdown),” he recalls.
They bought a $300 food cart on a whim and now own 17 permanent locations throughout Oregon.
The couple bought the lease to multiple Sweeto Burrito buildings last year, including the Coeur d’Alene and Meridian locations. The last day of business in Idaho Falls was December 8.
Former manager Randy Thompson says upper management sold the lease without any advanced notice.
Despite the sudden closure of the restaurant, he’s grateful for the community support during the final day of operation.
“We made $2,000 in just four hours with two people working. It was absolutely insane,” Thompson says. “I loved how busy we were. It was delightful.”
Sweeto Burrito first opened in 2018.
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The Chicken Shanty recently opened in Coeur d’Alene. Miltenberger and his wife are in the process of opening one in Meridian. The Idaho Falls store will be the third location in Idaho.
Miltenberger says it was their love of Idaho that prompted them to expand into the Gem State.
“We really like the people (and) we want to be part of the community,” he says. “Oregon is known for the foodie scene and we want to bring something new to fast food in Idaho.”
The Idaho Falls store will offer a dine-in experience and a drive-thru for customers. The atmosphere inside the restaurant will be similar to Buffalo Wild Wings, Miltenberger says.
“You’ll get served fast, but you’ll also be comfortable,” he says. “It’s the best of both worlds.”
The Chicken Shanty will be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.
