In-N-Out Burger: First Impressions


On a cold California morning, In-N-Out bustles with voices and smells. In contrast to Hana Zen, this restaurant was completely packed to around 30% over max occupancy (don’t report them). I actually hadn’t heard of their famous secret menu until today, but I got acquanted with the beautiful, price defying fast-food that is In-N-Out Burgers.
Seating: Parking was packed, but since this establishment built itself next to a Costco, alternative parking was not far away. The chairs, despite being all metal, were comfortably warm, but not someone’s-been-sitting-in-this-chair warm. The booths were also easy to get into and out of, and seemed to have a wider entrance than McDonald’s booths. Like traditional fast food, you seated yourself, which I had a hard time doing after going through a line stretched across half the perimeter of the building, but unlike traditional fast food, they provided a bench and bar beside the register, already prepared to be packed with backed up orders. That kind of confidence is earned and well deserved, as I would find out.


Decor: In-N-Out is iconic, with its palm tree logo and red and white color contrast. The indoor chairs were bright red, with the trashcans were likewise white and red, making them easy to spot. However, the colors were never an eyesore, surprising given how contrast is usually harsh on the eyes. The menu itself was also simple, with about 10 items, concealing a very in-depth secret menu. They go light on the eyes but memorable in the mind.
Actual Food: An explosion on the tongue, a goat rodeo of a version of Mac sauce better than Mac sauce, juicy but not dilutingly so lettuce, meat, and a heavenly toasted bread flavor. Their plain hamburger is any but, $2.75 forthe smoothest burger I have ever eaten. I also ordered the root beer float, which seems impossible given that they don’t serve ice cream, but turned out to be just root beer mixed with their vanilla milkshake. It was thick and tasty but did not achieve a good balance of milkshake and soda. Finally, the plain fries were distasteful. Plain and had a texture like Lucky Charms mashmallows without any of the appeal. Not salty either, unlike me after I had their fries.

Rating: Etched into my mind, In-N-Out is probably my new, and many other peoples’, favorite fast food restaurant, making the long lines and improvised secret menu food worth bearing for the best burgers. 8/9 foam-textured bland fries.

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