Why are Californians so provincial when it comes to In N Out Burger?

Funny - I had a craving yesterday and my husband was working late so I indulged.

They're fresh and delicious. The fries were particularly good, the perfect texture.

OP, blasphemy. I rarely eat fast food burgers, but when I do, it's In-N-Out.

My out of state and out-of-country relatives always demand to go when they visit.

They were good, 40-50 years ago. As with most things, people will just not admit that something isn't as good as it used to be.

For the record, I've tried Shake Shack and I didn't 'get it.'

Nothing - NOTHING is as good as it was 40-50 years ago.

Dont know if they are better in California, but in texas: whataburger = in and out = dog food.

Burger Street in Texas and Oklahoma. Best burgers you can buy. They're the only good thing in God forsaken, red clay infested, Oklahoma.

Don't they put scripture on their wrappers?

No thanks.

They're OK. But there are better places.

[quote] Don't they put scripture on their wrappers?

I don't know if this is true, but I have never understood the logic behind this sort of thing. What truly devout person would put holy scripture on something that will be smeared with grease and thrown away?

[quote] But there are better places.

I agree that there are definitely better restaurant or upscale burger places, but for what it is -- a drive-through, fast food joint -- and the cost, I can't think of any place better.

[quantity]for what it is -- a drive-through, fast food joint -- and the cost, I can't think of any place better.

I can. Burger King.

OMG, T111, your taste is in your mouth.

There are always some hot dudes at in n out, serving and eating there

"OMG, T111, your taste is in your mouth."

I mean, isn't it supposed to be when it comes to food?

I like 'em for an occasional indulgence and for the price range, there are no better alternatives. Great quality lettuce and tomato on the burger and plenty of it; it's damn near like a burger with a side salad. Food aside, better service and cleaner places than you get at other fast-food places. And at least where I am, there are no good, locally owned burger places. Five Guys? Meh. Burger King & McDonald's are fucking horrible.

There are people who I would sooner see dead, before I relinquish my once a month, five guys fix.

In-n-Out burgers are the only burgers I like, and the only burgers I eat. The meat is caramelized brown instead of gray like it is as McDonalds, and the patty is thin enough that the meat doesn't overwhelm the flavors of the veg, cheese, and bun. And the veg, cheese, and bun aren't stale or limp like they are at some other places.

So I like In-n-Out burgers... because I don't like ground beef very much.

The fries are like styrofoam.

R18, Last month they were, yesterday they were perfect. Not sure why that is. But they cut the potatoes at the restaurant, which is much more than most fast food places.

I like In 'N out but I hate their french fries. That works out great since a double/double is only 4 dollars and change with tax. The lousy fries and a drink take it over 8 dollars. I take a gingerale from home and I'm even better satisfied since they don't serve gingerale. We have a good fish and chips shop here in Long Beach. Their scallops and shrimp are damn good too. So I alternate my indulgences. We don't have a fast food drive-through that makes good french fries, which I really miss.

Meh. I used to love In-N-Out until I had Steak n Shake.

Overrated!

They suck hard. Worst fries ever. Whataburger bought in next to every I&O in Texas, and there is always a line at Whataburger and nobody and In & Out. Some people just do not know what's good.

You can order your French fries well-done.

I love an In-N-Out burger, but if presented with a choice between a Double-Double and a Tommy's burger I'll pick Tommy's every time.

Why are you fat whores traitor eating at a repub joint? It is just Chick fil A fyi

If by "a repub joint," you mean a place that serves delicious, non-frozen burgers and fries in a clean store consistently and at a great price, WHILE paying their employees better than the other places... maybe it's time to change my vote.

R20, details on the fish and chips place? I visit Long Beach a couple of times a year and would love to pick up some good fish and chips. It's really hard to find good casual fish and chips in the US.

Meh... Its big claim to fame is mostly the freshness of its added toppings but I don't want a salad, I want a cheeseburger. Meat, cheese, bun, and some carefully balanced condiments. They don't do that any better than anyone else does.

[quote]OMG, T111, your taste is in your mouth.

This would have been witty, had it been intentional.

true Angelenos prefer Fatburger.

In 'N out is decent but if there were a Five Guys or Steak n Shake closer to my house, I would go there instead. In 'N out fries suck though. I just douse them in salt or their spread. Most places, I can just eat the fries by themselves and they'll taste good.

Damn that burger looks good.

In DC a small Five Guys hamburger is $6.75. In N Out's burger is better value and just as good/better. Their fries do suck though.

I never thought they were that great and the wait time is ridiculous!

R34 Five Guys is expensive for a fast food place but their burgers are worth it. Considering I don't eat out at such places that often anymore, I'd rather go with the better burger than the one that's slightly cheaper.

[quote]Don't they put scripture on their wrappers?

"John 3:16" is inscribed in tiny lettering on the bottom inside lip of the beverage cups. I find it offensive, but I guess it's better than "God hates fags," which is what I'm sure they believe.

God hates fags

Everybody hates R38. F&F

R39 LOL. I am a "fag" but congrats on wasting that FF.

[quote]My out of state and out-of-country relatives always demand to go when they visit.

Sorry, I fucked up the hyphenation in my post. Should have been:

My out-of-state and out-of-country relatives always demand to go when they visit.

R36, I love Five Guys' toppings, but purely on meat and the buns--In N Out is the superior hamburger. Their fries still suck. I've been advised to order fries extra/double fried to make them palatable.

The chain donates substantial amounts of money to the California Republican Party. So it's fair to assume that they support Trump and his anti LGBTQ policies. They are also anti-union if you care. BTW, I thought gays were supposed to be foodies who eschewed fast food slop. Another stereotype dashed!

Snopes has considered the Republican Party donations of the chain. See link.

Shake Shake > In-N-Out

How In 'N out wastes its profits is of no concern to me. Donating to the Republican party in CA is throwing away money. The serve me just as they serve everyone else, they don't point a gun to my head to get me to order. I prefer going to businesses that believe in something that contributes to the proper handling of food, even if it's something I'm not supportive.

Are we getting In-N-Out shills like with CFA now? No normal human talks in ad copy like R27

Does Five Guys give you a ton of fries at all the stores, or is it just my local store that does that? When I order small fries, they fill a paper cup with fries, then they take another full scoop of fries and dump it on top so that there are actually more fries outside of the cup than inside it. I can't imagine ordering a large-sized fries because the "small" fries are already too much to eat.

All Five Guys give you too many fries. When they started out, they didn't even have their so-called small fries. I used to either not order fries, or spell out on my table in fries: 'TOO MANY FRIES.'

Pretty sure that's just Five Guys' shtick, along with the free peanuts. One small order is easily enough for 2 people

R21 HAHHAHA. Steak and Shake? Seriously? The infamous CHILI AND CHOKE?

The French Fries at N are the worst I’ve tasted anywhere. So bland and drab

I asked for a vegetarian burger option at In N Out and got a bun with a piece of lettuce and tomato.

[quote]Are we getting In-N-Out shills like with CFA now? No normal human talks in ad copy like [R27]

You are so right, R47!

I used to enjoy them, but now I am over it. I finally saw them for the no meat burger they are. Granted, a Double Double (faux single) is still cheap, but enough. I prefer Fatburger.

Are we really going to argue about fast food here?

Pull yourself together.

Every single person posting on this thread is typing fat.

Including me.Let's eat all the skinny Dataloungers with a side order of fries and/or onion rings, a milkshake and a diet coke because we're watching out calories. We're watching our calories fill up our fat deposits!

R57, lol. You can enjoy a good burger every so often without getting fat. Although as I age, I'm realizing that I can eat luxuriously less often.

In N Out is owned by creepy Bible thumpers who hate gay people. Don't support these kooks.

I can't think of a bigger disappointment in my eating life than In N Out Burger.

[quote] Nothing - NOTHING is as good as it was 40-50 years ago.

But you were in your forties then, when the world still seemed relatively new.

Where is the best fast food that I can get off a freeway off-ramp?

How did this become a trending thread on DL?

Hot Messes.

In-N-Out does not franchise, which is why they're able to have better control over their stores and a more consistent experience from location to location.

"No normal human talks in ad copy like [[R27]]"

I was just jamming into one sentence everything I like about In-N-Out.

Tard much?

Horrible animal abuse by their wholly owned supplier. Video on the local news. Google it. Horrible company.

One way to make in and out french fries palatable: order them well done & animal style. Yum!

Utahns are crazy about In N Out, too. I really don't get it -- everything tastes like shit and there's little on-offer.

I think it's because Utah didn't have In N Outs until 6 or 7 years ago. They're making up for lost time.

Fat burger ( which stands for fresh ‘n tasty ) Are really good but a combo is much more expensive than in an out.

Fatburger also has chili cheese fries!

The Apple Pan is better.

R48, I love that extra serving of fries. I always order the small fries and I eat every morsel.

I had an In-N-Out burger in Vegas. There was a long line, no seating and it was nothing special. If I get a craving for a fast food burger a couple double cheeseburgers satisfies my craving for under $5 along with a couple hours of Indigestion.

I'm from the Bay and I'm pretty much over it. They do have the best fast food fries though.

I lived in calif for a decade and I never heard one person ever even mention in and out burger................I never even knew anybody well that ate meat at all.

R74, you lived in California for a decade and only knew vegetarians?

I also think Shake Shack blows In-n-Out away. Never tried 5 Guys... something about them turns me off.

Obviously the low prices OP. Duh. But Californians would never admit they are poor.

They are provincial about music too. A bunch of them doing reaction videos didn't now who Gloria Estefan is.

[quote]Don't they put scripture on their wrappers?

Funny how these religious fast food places make their money catering to gluttons

In-N-Out's burgers are OK, nothing special. It's just a hamburger. I don't get the crazy cult around it. Prices decent. Fries lousy. They used to have a banana shake which was good, but alas, they took the only good thing off the menu.

Whataburger is definitely much better. Five Guys a close second.

The CA chain isn’t even in the top 10. I’d choose the fresh version of a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder over anything they serve.

Again, it's not fair to compare Shake Shack and Five Guys to In-N-Out. Different price points and menus.

Whataburger is complete and utter shit.

Can anyone tell me about Carl Jr’s burgers and fries? Never been to their restaurants...Am I missing anything?

I love Cookout

I went to In-N-Out a couple times in the past few months after not being there in years. Once in Tucson, once in LA. The burger I got in Tucson was terribly greasy and the one in LA was just blah. Both restaurants were absolutely packed with customers. It's truly a mystery to me why they are so popular, apart from marketing.

Shake Shack is way better. I tried Habit Burger recently and it was ok too. Not amazing, but certainly better than In-N-Out.

I've never had them, although I've been to LA a few times, but WTF is the obsession with the way people from California see a goddam hamburger? It seems to be a particularly hot topic in Texas for some reason. Is so little going on in the great flyover that all people think about is how Californians perceive fast food? Jesus, get a life.

Republicans have to eat something and there's barely any Chik-Fil-A.

R84, Carl's, Jr. was founded by the late Carl Karcher, who was a right-wing activist on the side and supported a 1978 anti-gay law in California. Gay rights activists dubbed his product "bigot burgers." He also campaigned against abortion and was involved in an insider trading scandal. I believe that his family still controls much of the chain as well as Hardee's and Green Burrito. As for their food, it's just average fast food. You haven't missed anything.

A lot of the Hardee's restaurants used to be Burger Chef.

Hardee’s has great milkshakes

If they're not in NY, they don't matter.

IIRC, Carl's Jr. was one of the first fast food chains to offer a low carb option with your burger.

Cookout is good and cheap.

What's wrong with just making burgers at home with grass-fed meat and raw milk cheese?

Early in my career, I worked in LA for a major corporation with offices all around the world. At least twice a year, all the major executives would fly into LA for budget and business review meetings. I was always in charge of this day long event which usually concluded with a major dinner at a very expensive restaurant. For lunch, I would cater in some place equally as nice. On the first day, in the morning, the CEO of the company pulled me aside and said, "I know you have lunch already planned but is there any way you could just bring in IN-N-OUT for us? He handed me 5 $100 bills and I sent 5 runners to the drive-through. The executives all loved it and the rest of the office had a very nice catered lunch from a swanky LA restaurant. My direct boss didn't know that the CEO had asked me to do this and started to get mad when he saw that I was feeding them burgers, fries and milk shakes. He got real quiet when he saw how happy the CEO and other were.

Even rich people eat fast food. Just look at Donald Trump.

Animal style is what elevates them to divine. Mine: animal style, protein style with chopped peppers.

I've never understand why DataLoungers are up in arms about other fast food chains that are run by fundies but don't seem to have a problem with In N Out Burger, even though In N Out's CEO (Lynsi Snyder) is a fundie and they put Bible verses on their wrappers.

People do crave community and connectedness. So knowing this is a Cali thing bonds us. Same thing when people pile inside the theater to watch a Marvel movie. we know they're not that good. but we want to feel a part of something.

Their ingredients are less processed.

The umami disappeared when the granddaughter took over.

Yo mama, umami troll!

R101 has it right. Simpler ingredients = better food.

Agree with all who said Steak n Shake is the best. The "steakburger" and the buttered grilled bun are to die for. Five Guys is overpriced and the fries are soggy. Whataburger is just gross af. In N Out is just meh. Burger King is VILE.

[quote] I went to In-N-Out a couple times in the past few months after not being there in years. Once in Tucson, once in LA. The burger I got in Tucson was terribly greasy and the one in LA was just blah. Both restaurants were absolutely packed with customers. It's truly a mystery to me why they are so popular, apart from marketing. Shake Shack is way better. I tried Habit Burger recently and it was ok too. Not amazing, but certainly better than In-N-Out.

Again, you cannot compare In-N-Out to Shake Shack or the Habit. In-N-Out has a VERY limited menu and is about half the price of the other two places. Apples and oranges. It's like comparing Outback to Ruth's Chris.

Darn r105, you made me want to try Steak n Shake, so I looked up the one near me, only to find out it closed just the other day! Isn't that my luck.

Yep...so awesome they cannot keep restaurants open!

^Poor management. They need to simplify their menu. Love their classic double cheese burger, fries, and shakes. I always order the Nutella shake.

OH, DEAR. Nutella shake disqualifies your taste period.

[quote]You can order your French fries well-done.

That's nice. Can I order them with taste?

wonder why in n out have not branched out to the rest of the country? and never will?.. a total west coast and southwest thing only.. i know i enjoyed them when i would visit out west....

R112, Supply chain--they don't do frozen food so they need the restaurants to be within a day's drive at most. They also don't franchise so they're much more particular about opening more locations. They want to keep to their own company culture so expanding as much and as quickly as possible isn't a priority.