East Coast Review

Another raving review from the other coast. Marcy has many great points about what makes In-N-Out burgers special. Do you agree with her take on the "secret"?:

"So what's the secret? The onion. When you order an In-N-Out burger, always get it with onion when the counter person asks. It's not the harsh-tasting yellow onion you might expect, but a thick slice of crunchy, faintly sweet white onion. If you cook, you know that there is a huge difference between different types of onions. White onions are the mildest and the best choice in raw preparations like guacamole. It's the white onion's delicate, sweet taste that sets the In-N-Out burger apart."

Can it be replicated on the East Coast?:
"Will we ever be able to replicate In-N-Out's magic here in New York? Unfortunately, even with the exact combination of ingredients, it's unlikely that we'd ever reach the same caliber of California freshness."

Lawsuit Filed

"the nation's retailers are coming under legal assault for printing too much payment-card information on customer receipts."

"As of Dec. 4, retailers are prohibited from printing more than the last five digits of a credit-card or debit-card account number on receipts that are handed to customers. The receipts also can't include the account's expiration date."

"We firmly believe Congress did not intend to allow these class-action lawyers to claim hundreds of millions of dollars in damages when no one has actually suffered any monetary harm," Arnold Wensinger, general counsel for Irvine, Calif.-based In-N-Out Burger, said in a statement.

full story

I don't see any problem with In-N-Out quickly complying with this - Franchise companies like Wendy's will have a little more trouble.

Two Kitchens in Tucson

In-N-Out brought in a trailer to help reduce wait times! Good thinking and way to show the customers you care. The trailer concept isn't a new thing for In-N-Out, but it's usually used for parties -- I wonder if this practice will become commonplace for popular In-N-Out openings... Those 3-hour wait times for the first couple days were rough.

Tucson AZ opens today!

That's 206 open stores and counting...

This article even mentions us: "the chain has a cult following that includes some celebrities."

"Within minutes of the Midtown restaurant's early opening at about 9 a.m., a line had formed at the front door. By noon, more than 100 people were waiting outside and the drive-thru line was at least 100 vehicles deep, threaded throughout the El Con Mall parking lot." Jump

Legend of the 100x100

It's true and it happened Halloween weekend, 2004. 1 double-double with 98 extra patties & cheese. Cost = $97.66

Read the full story and see more pictures straight from the source on Will's blog. His post has generated comments for over a year now. Thanks Will and friends for your contribution to the In-N-Out mystique.

Gen Y Prefers Simplicity

Outlaw Consulting recently determined that the trendsetters of Generation Y (ages 21 - 27) prefer simplicity and stripped-down honesty in companies, their products, and the organization of their offerings. This survey confirms yet again that In-N-Out is doing things right:

1. Apple
2. Trader Joe's
3. Jet Blue
4. In-N-Out Burger
5. Ben & Jerry's

See the entire list of 15 "most trusted brands" and read the full article here.

Submit Your Pics

We want to hear your In-N-Out stories and see you enjoying the In-N-Out experience.

Email your pics and stories to us here: innouttalk@gmail.com to have them featured on In-N-Out Talk.

Bible Verses

I noticed an article on Snopes today asking if the markings on In-N-Out cups and burger wrappers are Bible citations. The article certainly isn't overly interesting, but what is interesting is that there are plenty of people out there who don't recognize a Bible verse when they see one.

John 3:16, Proverbs 3:5, Nahum 1:7. Even if you don't believe the Biblical texts you know where to look when you see those citations... right?

Maybe we should start teaching the Bible in school again (carefully of course), as David Van Biema points out in his recent TIME article. "And Shakespeare would almost surely have agreed. According to one estimate, he alludes to Scripture some 1,300 times."

The Bible is always the best selling book year after year, yet how many of us actually read it? How can we fully understand our culture and literature without a good understanding of the Bible? If you don't currently have a good grasp of Biblical themes and stories, I encourage you to pick up a copy (or dust off the one you have on your shelf), or at least get the cliff's notes, so next time you glance at a Bible verse on the bottom of your In-N-Out milkshake cup, you'll know the context - and even be able to look it up when you get home.

Past the 200 Mark

Did you know In-N-Out currently has 209* locations in California, Nevada, and Arizona?

1948 - 1976 = 18
1976 - 1993 = 93
1993 - 2007 = 209

Slow and steady wins the race. More detail to come on the history behind these expansions.

*4 currently under construction.

About In-N-Out Talk

Hi, I love In-N-Out.

Quality. Simplicity. Value. Values. Joy. Cleanliness. Efficiency.... All good things that make InO great.

I live within a mile of 2 In-N-Out locations and work next to another one. I eat there all the time; my favorite order is #2. My wife and I make a stop at In-N-Out on all of our cross-California road trips (my favorite off I-5 stops are Kettleman City and Newhall). And now that my wife's pregnant, she's craving it all the more.

Considering all the devoted In-N-Out fans out there, I was surprised in a recent 2-minute surf through the internet that there were no dedicated In-N-Out blogs. I think there should be a place on the internet for the In-N-Out faithful to discuss the goings on of this wonderful family business that's got it goin' on.

And so, this is my first post on my humble attempt at creating a forum for In-N-Out devotees. We'll keep up on latest news, talk about the folklore, the 'secret menus', the happy employees, -whatever we please. Even speak out to the In-N-Out executives if we see anything going awry; my bet is business will be positively impacted by our insightful comments.

Enjoy.