In-N-Out set a new standard for fast food when its first restaurant opened in 1948.
Since then, the chain has continued to increase its cult following day by day.
Part of its allure is how rare the restaurants are — but what else makes this chain so
worthy of praise?
Most fast food joints, or even sit-down restaurants for that matter, can't boast that their beef
is never frozen.
But that isn't the case with In-N-Out.
In fact, part of the reason the chain is so limited in its locations has to do with the
quality control standards on the beef the restaurants serve.
According to In-N-Out, the company doesn't freeze, pre-package, or microwave any of its
food, meaning those beef patties arrive fresh at each location from In-N-Out's own facilities.
They then stay fresh in walk-in coolers, rather than giant freezers, until they get cooked
to order on a grill.
The result is a burger that always feels as though it was made to order just for you.
The chain doesn't even use heat lamps to keep their burgers warm.
It's for all of these reasons that, for now at least, you won't find an In-N-Out located
any further east than Texas.
With those strict standards, deliveries of fresh meat must be organized in a timely fashion,
with deliveries to the restaurants on a daily or almost-daily basis.
"In-N-Out truck's coming in ten!"
Stacy Perman, author of In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain
That Breaks all the Rules, told NPR that all locations are actually within 500 miles of
the company's patty-making facilities, which ensures that your burger is always top quality.
It's not just the hamburger patties that get the gold-star In-N-Out treatment — the iceberg
lettuce is hand-leafed, the American cheese is the unprocessed real deal, and the french
fries are made from fresh potatoes that are hand-cut in the stores.
In-N-Out burgers are all about quality, and that means you also get the ability to customize,
because at the end of the day, what's a good burger that isn't made the way you want it?
"They make a good double meat burger."
In addition to fresh lettuce and tomatoes, one of the best things In-N-Out offers is
a choice of onions, depending on your preference.
If you're a raw onion eater, your burger will come with a whole slice of onion as a standard.
But if grilled onions are your thing, In-N-Out has you covered.
The grilled onions are cooked on a hot griddle, soaking in collected meat juices, adding even
more flavor to your burger.
Typically, grilled onions will come chopped on your burger, but you can also ask for whole
slices of grilled onions.
Just know that ordering that option means that your burger will take a bit longer to
prepare, but if you've got a craving, then it may just be worth the extra wait.
If you're feeling really wild, you could even ask for all three onion options at once.
Why not?
"Onion God, thank you for these onions."
For those who simply don't eat meat, In-N-Out still has an option for you.
All you need to do is order a grilled cheese sandwich off the restaurant's not-so-secret
menu.
That'll get you a fairly substantial sandwich consisting of two slices of melted American
cheese, hand-leafed lettuce, tomato, and spread — also known as the chain's secret sauce.
It's up to you whether or not to say yes to those savory grilled onions, but remember
— word on the street is those onions are grilled in meat juices, so vegetarians and
vegans beware.
There's also the option to add chopped chiles to amp up your sandwich a bit more.
If you're really trying to hack the menu for a vegetarian meal on the cheap, a side salad
is also an option, if you know how to ask for it correctly.
Just ask for extra lettuce, tomatoes, and onions on the side, as well as extra sauce,
and you'll be able to whip up a freebie salad to go with your fries.
Going into a McDonald's or Burger King and having your entire order haphazardly piled
onto one tray is pretty normal.
That's not the case for In-N-Out.
If you ask for more than a couple burgers and fries, they'll never be jammed into the
same tray, and there's a good reason for that.
Because of a focus on quality control, In-N-Out employees are trained to high standards, especially
when it comes to how things look.
According to one In-N-Out employee's Reddit AMA,
"In-N-Out really prides itself on quality and presentation.
So we can only fit two burgers and two orders of fries on a tray at once without ruining
presentation."
In addition to the burger/fry math on each tray, In-N-Out also has set standards on the
number of napkins given out.
According to the same employee, In-N-Out staff are trained to put one napkin for each burger
and one napkin for each fry in the tray, and they're always put on top of the burger — a
practice that some customers actually find a bit annoying, since the sauce tends to soak
into the napkin before they even have a chance to look at it.
With that in mind, you might want to grab a couple extra napkins on your way to the
table.
While you can head to Wendy's for a Baconator, or Burger King for a Bacon King, In-N-Out
is not a go-to destination for your favorite salt-cured pork.
Bacon is not on the menu at any In-N-Out location, and some speculate the reason has to do with
the chain's high quality standards.
After all, you would never catch In-N-Out serving pre-cooked bacon, and the fresh stuff
can be a challenge when it comes to storage, cooking, and cleaning up the grease.
Since In-N-Out restaurants don't have freezers, it would make the storage scenario especially
complicated.
At this point, there has never been bacon offered at an In-N-Out, and that may be a
make or break point for some people.
It's such a well-known subject that some food sites have posted April Fools' articles announcing
bacon as a new menu addition.
Some bacon-loving In-N-Out customers have even gone so far as to take matters into their
own hands.
One Serious Eats writer actually brought his own cutting board, cooked bacon, and avocado
to his local In-N-Out to assemble the Double Double of his dreams.
For the foreseeable future, this is the route you'll have to take too if you want bacon
on your burger.
Double cheeseburgers are pretty typical in the fast food world, and they tend to be enough
for most people.
But sometimes you're feeling really hungry, or maybe you're just up for a challenge.
For those occasions, In-N-Out offers a 4X4, or Quad Quad, on their not-so-secret menu.
This beast of a burger comes stacked with four beef patties and four gooey slices of
American cheese melting in between.
It also comes piled high with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and your choice of onions, all put
together on a freshly baked bun.
If your cravings surpass that burger size, though, you're going to have to just buy two
4X4s, because In-N-Out won't stack any higher than that.
Or, at least, they won't do it anymore.
Once upon a time, In-N-Out would actually let you order any number of patties on a burger
and just upcharge you for each.
That was the standard, until one blogger ordered a 100X100 — a stunt order which cost $97.66
and came complete with a whopping 19,490 calories.
So In-N-Out ended up revising its policy.
Remember, they're big on presentation, and a 100X100 — or even a 5X5 — looks like
more of a mess than a masterpiece.
If you weren't already obsessed with In-N-Out as it is, the option to customize your French
fries might change your life.
"I'm going to be eating here all the time."
In-N-Out prides themselves on hand-cut fries.
According to their quality standards, the potatoes for their fries are shipped straight
from the farm they were grown to the store where they'll be dished up.
Each store has a fry cutter, and employees are devoted to cutting fresh potatoes throughout
their shift before the fries are cooked in sunflower oil.
And while a normal order of french fries at In-N-Out is delicious, you can also order
your fries well done for some extra crisp and crunch.
But the fry options don't stop there.
Perhaps one of In-N-Out's most well-known secret menu items is an order of Animal Style
fries.
This glorious confection comes topped with cheese, extra spread, grilled onions, and
pickles, and they're definitely worthy of a few extra napkins.
As is the case with many restaurants, bringing your dog inside is a little frowned upon.
But many of In-N-Out's locations feature outdoor seating, letting you enjoy your meal in the
sunshine with your best friend by your side.
And while feeding your dog a double-double is probably not the best idea, you can still
loop your pet in on the In-N-Out Burger experience.
All you have to do is order a "pup patty" while you're at the counter or drive-thru.
Then the store will whip up a plain hamburger patty, without any salt, so your dog has their
own fresh In-N-Out snack.
Plus, they'll even put the treat in its own doggy bag.
Talk about royal treatment for man's best friend.
For those diners who appreciate a well-done patty, this is absolutely not for you.
But all of you pink burger fans, listen up.
Perhaps one of the most unique attributes of In-N-Out is that you can order your burger
cooked to medium rare with a nice pink center, which is pretty much unheard of at any other
quick burger joint.
So while you're deciding what type of onion you'd prefer to add, or whether or not today's
the day for animal style fries, you can also consider this option.
It's definitely a favorite for those who prefer their beef a little on the juicier side.
In-N-Out is a destination for all ages, and can make for a momentous trip, especially
for those who don't live near an In-N-Out of their own.
And what better way to commemorate a visit than with a little memorabilia?
If you put in a request for them, you can get free In-N-Out window and bumper stickers
with your order, as well as stickers for the kids.
In addition to those flashy stickers, you can ask for a paper hat.
Employees wear either a baseball cap or the traditional paper hat while they're on the
clock, so you can show some solidarity by looking just like one of the team.
Plus, they fold up easily and make for a great souvenir.
If you really want to show off your passion for In-N-Out, most stores also sell additional
swag items including t-shirts, hats, and cups.
It feels like every company with a little bit of reach can now point to its own companion
app, and In-N-Out is definitely part of that crowd.
Because In-N-Out's locations can be far and few between, especially once you're out of
California, it can be difficult to find the nearest location to satisfy those Animal Style
cravings.
If you're on the hunt, the In-N-Out app will give you directions to the location closest
to you, as well as a whole listing of locations in a particular state and surrounding areas.
App users can also look up normal store hours and drive-thru hours to be sure the restaurant
is open when they get there.
Plus, the app even spills the beans on the locations that In-N-Out has in the works,
which really, is probably the most interesting thing about it.
Don't we all want an In-N-Out next to our house?
For those of us who haven't yet been graced with a local In-N-Out, the anticipation is
unreal.
"I never thought this day would come.
I just never thought they would come here."
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