Iowans Reveal the Restaurant and Store They Most Want

Here in the state of Iowa, we have a ton of great locally-owned restaurants and businesses and most of the major national restaurant and business chains as well. However, we'd really like these two to come knocking.

Tops on the list of businesses that Iowans would most like to see grace the state of Iowa with their presence is Ikea. That's according to a new Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll. People in Iowa have had a lengthy longing for Ikea... in early 2013, a similar poll showed 25 percent of people wanted Ikea to come to the Hawkeye State. This time around, the number was 21 percent. I'm guessing you can chalk up the major upward surge of online shopping over the last eight years for that small drop.

Ikea, founded in Sweden in 1953 by 17-year-old Ingvar Kamprad, started as a mail-order catalog business. The name IKEA originated this way: I (Ingvar), K (Kamprad), E (Elmtaryd-farm he grew up on), and A (Agunnaryd-the village he lived in as a child).

A business that trumpets affordable furniture and home goods, Ikea now has 462 locations worldwide, including 68 in North America. Here in Iowa, we're still waiting. The closest location is 3 1/2 hours from Cedar Rapids in Bolingbrook, Illinois. If you're in Waterloo, the store in Bloomington, Minnesota is just over 3 hours away.

The same poll shows the restaurant the people of Iowa would most like to come to the state is In-N-Out Burger. One in five Iowans longs for a burger and fries from the chain that features a menu that's pretty limited.

Founded in California in 1948, In-N-Out Burger has 371 locations in the United States. The vast majority of the restaurants (257) are in California. There are also locations in Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Oregon. The best news for Iowans? In-N-Out Burger expanded to Colorado in 2020, where it now has five stores. The restaurant that many obsess over is at least getting closer to Iowa.