In the fast food nation that we live in the burger has become one of America’s oldest past times. Up there with apple pie, finding a good burger can be a lifelong quest.
The burger is something that can vary greatly in price, quality, ingredients and even style. From the value meal at Wendy’s to the “Six Dollar Burger” at Carl’s Jr. to the gourmet bleu cheese burger, no burger is created equal. One thing is for sure, though, you haven’t lived a life worth living until you’ve tried a “Double Double with Cheese” from In-N-Out.
If you’re not already familiar, In-N-Out is a fast food chain started in California.They invented the Drive-Thru window when “car-hops” were commonplace.
They’re not your average fast food franchise. Unlike McDonalds, Wendy’s, Burger King, or Carl’s Jr. (slash Hardee’s on the East Coast), In-N-Out burgers are never made from frozen meat, and you can taste the difference. In fact, there are no microwaves or freezers at any In-N-Out. You can even watch the employees slicing the potatoes for the french fries right in front of your eyes.
In-N-Out has a VERY limited menu. 3 choices: Hamburger, Cheeseburger, or Double Cheeseburger. Then, of course, they have fries and shakes (for first-timers, a shake is a MUST!). The limited menu seems like a turnoff at first, but once you’ve tasted their food, you understand they’ve simply perfected the classic necessities of American fast food.
Me and Shannon about to enter burger heaven
Unfortunately, the In-N-Out restaurants exist only on the West Coast in California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada. Each location is carefully run by the original owners’ family and they’ve never become a national franchise. Their managers are trained carefully in “Universities” and their starting wages are $10/hr. As a result, the service is as impeccable as the food.
So, the next time you’re in a city with an In-N-Out, you know what to do…order up! If you’re feeling really daring, order it “Animal Style” with grilled onions. Yum yum…enjoy!
144 Things to Do...According to the Millennials 
I have never been to a In and Out…see it movies, see the shirts, but living on the East Coast for the past 10 years I have had no opportunity.
Five Guys and Cook Outs have grown fast in NC, and people love their burgers…They are both excellent…I just wonder how they compare to In and Out…Rich Tucker
Five Guys and Cook Outs? Sounds like fun. How big of a chain are they? What’s their philosophy. I’ve never heard of them and I’ve spent some time in the Southeast.
It is two seperate chains…one is Five Guys…real greasy, but they only use peanut oil (I Think)….the other is Cook Out..they are a double drive through with Awesome Shakes, burgers taste like the one you cook out at home…
Well, I’m not so sure about the greasy one, but Cook Out sounds like a winner! Do they have them in Florida? I’ll be there in the spring.
Do they have veggie burgers for us vegetarians?? hmmm?? haha
-Bri
haha…sadly, no. you’d think with their whole philosophy and start in Cali that the veg burger would be a natural though. have you tried P. Terry’s in Austin off Barton Springs? they’re kind of a response to the book “Fast Food Nation” which ridiculed McDonald’s and celebrated In-N-Out. They’re not as delicious as INO but they are all natural and fresh…they have veggie burgers. What’s your favorite veggie burger in town? Mother’s makes my fav…i tried the Trudy’s bean burger once and regretted it.
Five Guys has an excellent burger. They also have fresh cut fries. The Five Guys by my house is open until 3 a.m., which makes the burgers taste even better. I’m not a hotdog fan, but I hear they have exceptional dogs. In-N-Out is pretty hard to beat, though.
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