NEWS: In n' Out Burger Chain Expands

[Jenise]

Lucky Texas:

From the Huffington Post:

Appropriately revered west coast burger chain In-N-Out Burger is making an unprecedented expansion into Dallas, Texas.

The chain has infamously not expanded beyond the Western states of California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah, as In-N-Out trucks in its meat from a central facility and has resisted reorganizing that structure in order to accomodate farther reaching locations (for a visual explanation of the process, see this graphic at the Orange County Register).

However, for the upcoming In-N-Out in Dallas, the company is building a whole new meat processing facility in Texas, suggesting that future Texas In-N-Out locations are in the works.

Maybe they can work out a partnering agreement with the Kum-N-Go convenience store chain.

[Jenise]

Long long ago when they were just a one or two store operation, they passed out bumper stickers that read:

IN 'N OUT
BURGER

Which naughty boys immediately cut off the left and right sides of and put on their vans and pick up trucks as:

IN 'N OUT
URGE


You, I take it, would have been one of them.

But hey, laugh all you want: In n' Out Burger is the greatest fast food burger in the nation. Bob and I have to ritualistically partake whenever we're in Southern California.

We have In n' Out Burger in Redding. I've tried it three times and cannot say that I like their stuff at all. The local joints make better ones. In fact, I took two of our grand children there two summers ago, who had never ordered from a fast food place. They read the menu, ordered for themselves and had huge grins and eyes to match. When we got home and unwrapped their burgers, the grins came to an end. Dried up, ugly meat patties that had shrunk so bad, it was disgusting. I think their fries are greasy. We, on the other hand have had OK burgers there, but nothing to brag about. Their place is usually busy, but so are the local places which really serve good burgers, nice and juicy, with fresh lettuce and tomatoes sourced from the local growers when in season. Some even source their organic beef from local ranches. Now, if I could just convince one or two to offer gr. turkey burgers!

[Jenise]

You're lucky to be in California beef country, Karen. For the rest of us who don't have great local places, In 'n Out is a godsend, and the burgers I've had don't match your description at all. Nor the fries, so I wonder what's going wrong in Redding. However, one thing you said captures my attention, the words "when we got home". I think it's pretty essential to the In n' Out experience (where every single burger is made to order), to eat them hot and fresh on the spot. The fries, in particular, don't travel well. Made from potatoes peeled and cut minutes before they enter the fryer, the fries go from exceptional to lackluster in mere minutes.

Jenise, your comment is spot on.

I wouldn't think of taking their burgers/fries home. Eat it there, right away, or don't eat it at all. The freshness is all! Especially with the fries. (which I like)

In n' Out Burger is the greatest fast food burger in the nation. Bob and I have to ritualistically partake whenever we're in Southern California.

Feh. You can have it and god bless.

I always eat the fries first. Yum. My favorite burger maybe a 3X2 protein with K&M& whole grilled onion.

Good for Texas.

And people should not compare In -n- Out to one off restaurants. It is a fast food chain. That said, I was underwhelmed to first time I tried one. But I grew to love them. You have to find your burger. For many it would be animal style.

But I am always glad to have Fatburger right down the street too.

Jason

You're lucky to be in California beef country, Karen. For the rest of us who don't have great local places, In 'n Out is a godsend, and the burgers I've had don't match your description at all. Nor the fries, so I wonder what's going wrong in Redding. However, one thing you said captures my attention, the words "when we got home". I think it's pretty essential to the In n' Out experience (where every single burger is made to order), to eat them hot and fresh on the spot. The fries, in particular, don't travel well. Made from potatoes peeled and cut minutes before they enter the fryer, the fries go from exceptional to lackluster in mere minutes.

Our house is a mere 7 minutes away, I'd have to eat mighty fast to get the best of the fries. I don't think the patties would have shrunk and dried out on the way home...I think it was a newbie at the helm. Those things happen now and then.

[Jenise]

I always eat the fries first. Yum. My favorite burger maybe a 3X2 protein with K&M& whole grilled onion.

Good for Texas.

And people should not compare In -n- Out to one off restaurants. It is a fast food chain. That said, I was underwhelmed to first time I tried one. But I grew to love them. You have to find your burger. For many it would be animal style.

But I am always glad to have Fatburger right down the street too.

Jason

We eat the fries first too. On our typical order, we share one. (Yes, Karen, 7 minutes would be too long.) I grew up in Whittier not far from their first store in...can't think of the name of the town going out toward the Covinas it was actually in. City of Industry? La Puente? Anyway, I heard about it for years before I ever stepped foot near the place, but it was legend: ALL they made was burgers, it was take-away only, and yet cars lined up down the block for them. And then there was that bumper sticker. How was it possible?

Have no recollection of when and how I finally got into one, but I loved them instantly. And this from a woman who didn't care much for hamburgers, in fact I believe it or not didn't eat my first hamburger until I was 17.

Interesting that the entire empire is now ruled by the sole heiress, who by now would be about 20. Lucky girl.

Living in SoCal seven months out of the year, we go to In n' Out about once a year when Len's east-coast grandkids come for a visit. Their trip is not complete without a stop there. The restaurant is about five minutes from our house. It's always busy, and always fresh, good food, but once a year is enough for us.

Now how does everyone feel about Chik fil' a? My west coast colleagues used to go nuts for it on business trips to Atlanta.

Chick Fil A?

Feh. Never been all that impressed---but mind you, I am originally a Georgia boy, so it's hard to impress me with southern fried chicken.

Chick Fil A has always seemed to me to push a lot of fairly bland breaded chicken stuff on average buns. They tend to be dry and moderately flavorful---the pickles help a lot by adding some flavor interest though.

One trouble, for me, is that I most tend to see CFA as an airport venue these days. And that's the kiss of death for fast food chains; it's the ultimate formula food dispensed in mass quantities without a great deal of focus on quality. Takes a rare operation to dispense airport food with any distinction at all.

Fried chicken----and by that I mean really good, freshly made by hand fried chicken---is something I rarely if ever have any more. It was a staple of my youth, and one of the few things that my mother the average cook could and did do superbly. Very thin flour coating, not ever approaching the level of breading, moderately hot seasoning, cooked in an big cast iron skillet (originally with lard, then later with Crisco), perfectly browned and delivered up piping hot.

My wife doesn't like fried chicken, and doesn't cook fried chicken, so it's not in our repertoire. Different tastes and different cultural backgrounds.

[Robin Garr]

You're lucky to be in California beef country, Karen

Maybe it's because we're close to Kentucky and Indiana beef farms, but I'm in agreement with Karen on this one. I heard about In'n'Out for years and was absolutely delighted, the last time I was in the Central Coast, to see an I&O come into view just as I drove in to the city, too late for a "real" dinner but just right for fast food.

Maybe it was a case of overly built-up expectations, but while I thought it was decent - certainly far, far better than Mickey D's or Burger King - but it was still sort of "meh" to me. (I ate them right there, too, not back at the motel.) Theirs was good, but I could think of maybe 20 local joints that make better burgers, and my fries were limp with no waiting. Trying to look for a rationale, it was getting on in the evening, maybe 8, 8:30 p.m. on a week night, so maybe the first team had gone home?

Robin, Hoke, Jeff. What's the difference between Feh and Meh?

[Robin Garr]

Robin, Hoke, Jeff. What's the difference between Feh and Meh?

Feh is orthodox, meh reform.

I think meh means you think something is blah while feh means something should be kept away.