We didn't have any in Colorado until the last few years, and they opened up a ton of them, I have two within fifteen miles of me. I'm not complaining. I love it.
I'm actually Denver -> Durham -> Denver haha. Couldn't do without my rocky mountains. However I completely forgot about cookout! That is the best one we are missing.
I lived in California for a while. I missed it so much. We just got them in Tennessee but they are about two hours away from me. Every time I'm near them I got out of my way to get it.
One opened up recently near me. Dunno if it's just the location, but it was easily the worst burger I've ever had. And I've given it a few tries thinking it might be an off day or something. Consistently awful.
Actually, I'm a huge fan of thin burgers. When I make burgers at home, my go-to is smash burgers and getting those ultra-thin sections that end up crispy.
I had In-N-Out in Cali like... ten years ago or more, and it was pretty good from memory. Went animal style and everything. Could be that my tastes have changed, too.
CA native here. I have had terrible In-n-out and Iāve had some that was peak fast food. The general tendency is for it to be good. The terrible ones are rare, but do exist.
There is no In-n-out in my town, so it was always a treat when going to āthe big city.ā
The move is either get them well done, or if you want more friends, or are eating with someone else, order one regular one well done and mix them. Guarantees near perfect In N Out fries.
Iāve been going to In-N-Out 30ish years and have never once had a truly bad In-N-Out burger meal. I sent the fries back once for being undercooked, no biggie.
Only issue Iāve ever had is ordering extra toast and getting buns that are literally burnt. I think itās happened 3 times ever. In N Out is an incredibly efficient and well-oiled machine. Their consistency is outstanding, and yes the fries suck but just get cheese fries and mix the cheese in before the whole operation gets cold
I had the saltiest in and out burger the other day visiting Dallas and it was the worst ive ever had there. Dont know what happened but man I al.ost felt like I was dying.
I never understood the hype of in-n-out. I will grant you that the veggies are really fresh but the bun and patties are unremarkable. In fact, the patties taste like just pure salt.
It always tasted like a genuine sunday backyard grill. Authentic and fresh but very unremarkable.
Just because you say youāre from CA doesnāt mean you have some special In N Out cred. Itās a really annoying Californian thing to act like your get to give a thumbs up to all in n out locations.
but if you were born and raised here, youāve eaten there hundred of times in your life and gone to tons different of locations all around the state (and outside) and understand how consistent they are as a chain
not sure who would have more ācredā than that š¤·āāļø
I love In 'n Out -- probably because I'm in PA, and we obviously will never have them there, so when I'm in California (or somewhere else that has them) I'm going to stop there for the novelty of it. I'm sure if we didn't have Shake Shack's here I'd feel the same way about those! You always love what you can't get on a regular basis.
Last week I begrudgingly picked up In n Out for dinner because every single one in my area has additional cone-lanes in the parking lot (this one has a split lanes) with someone taking orders 20 yards away from the actual start of the drive through and is super busy.
Yet this time, first time in maybe 20 years or outside of getting food not at some irregular ass time, the dude taking orders was standing next to the actual order speaker. Was a small miracle.
While InO wouldnāt have been my top fast food pick in terms of taste+price 10+ years ago, they have quickly become the most affordable meal with the increases of everyone else.
Also, theyāve always paid a higher than average fast food wage, thereās always like a dozen people working and most locations you can see them busting their asses. Even with InOās huge lines they still operate at a blazing pace relative to every other ff place here running a skeleton crew.
Iāve been to Carlās Jr and McDonalds where I was the ONLY person ordering from the drive-thru, and it still took longer than In-n-Out with a full line.
Thereās always some random slowness with these places but InO is just consistent in their speed and efficiency despite how busy they get.
Iāve stopped going to the nearby BK during work lunch because they are consistently understaffed and always slow. Like, genuinely 10 minutes with one other car.
I kind of expect a longish wait from Carls though.
Iāve never been so hyped to try a fast food burger and so subsequently disappointed. Yes, it has fresh ingredients but the overall taste is decidedly mediocre. To say nothing about the fries which bring down the whole experience.
Extremely cheap though and thatās worth several points in these times.
There's so much hype I can understand why someone would be let down after finally trying it. But, to me it's one of those things that you only fully appreciate when it's a go to staple. Between the freshness, the simple ingredients, the experience, the price, etc. Unless you really overdo it, it's fast food that doesn't make you feel like crap afterwards. Most fast food is depressing, in n out is just a good time.
To me an In-n-Out double cheeseburger, animal style, with whole grilled onions is basically the ideal version of what a fast food burger should be. Not expensive, fresh, and really satisfying hot out of the kitchen.Ā
I just skip the mediocre In-n-Out fries and have two burgers instead.Ā
Their fries are great but you have to eat them immediately. Not at home, not 5 minutes later. They donāt travel. Theyāre excellent when hot and fresh.
Their fries suck ass. I've had In N Out several times in my life and I tried the fries twice - once regular, once animal style. The first was bad and the second was honestly disgusting. I ate them both at the restaurant, not at home. I can't imagine how much worse they'd taste after sitting for 20 minutes. The next time I went I just had a burger.
It's just cooking style. They aren't blanched/double fried. That will always taste better and it has nothing to do with the fries content which is just potato anyway. You can get more complex with mashed and then fried or cooking with things like duck fat. I suggest making duck fat potatoes at least once, super good.
I can make French fries at home with fresh potatoes and they taste leagues better. And I'm not some ace chef.
In N Out's fries are just terrible. They could and should change them, but they won't if people are fine with it and keep buying them. If I'm back in California I doubt I'll bother going back again but if I do it'll be for a burger only.
We'll have to disagree. I would rather eat any other chain's fries apart from Burger King's old ones (their new ones are better). I'd rather not eat In N Out's at all, they're that awful, even right after they're made.
double double whole grilled mustard fried chopped chilies extra toast
itās just good food. and it happens to be cheap fast food by definition. I put aside my political and religious differences at least once a month to stuff my face
I was underwhelmed the first time I ever had it because how much hype surrounded it. Now that I live in Denver and we have them readily available itās easily the best fast food burger. The fries are also fine. No complaints.Ā
IMO, the appeal has always been fresh ingredients, good taste, convenient, and cheap. Like if you have a choice between McDonalds or In-N-Out, why would you ever go to McDonalds? That's why it got so popular here.
The first 3 times I tried it I thought it was mediocre. Ā I was traveling to Cali for work for about a year. Ā But then a switch flipped in my brain and I started to crave it. Ā In a vacuum itās a 6/10 burger. Ā But to me it became a 9/10.Ā
Here's where I think the hype comes from with In-N-Out. I lived in SoCal in the late '90s. And it was great because the only other chain burger joints were McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Jack in the Box, etc. You know, burger joints that weren't doing it fresh.
I left SoCal. I didn't get to eat In-N-Out for years. I tried it again when I was in Vegas and I was just like, meh. It was good but it wasn't as amazing as I remembered it.
But also realize that since the '90s, all these other "fresh" burger chains sprung up. So, what they were doing was no longer a unique experience. I think that took away a lot of the mystique of In-N-Out.
Exactly. It was cheap, fresh, convenient, tasty. When you had the choice between some generic fast food slop and In-N-Out, there was just no real reason to not opt for In-N-Out. It got super hyped online and people expected some mindblowing burger, but I think the point of why it got so popular was kind of lost.
I feel like that's where people really get the disappointment from. Their standard burger is fine but once you learn to order them any way you like then the magic really happens.Ā
A double cheeseburger animal style with "whole grilled onions" from them is magnificent in my opinion.Ā
Seen this happen a lot. They're the best for what they are, but it's still just a cheap fast food burger at the end of the day. I remember when they first came to San Antonio and there was like 2-hour long lines...and then people were complaining about it. Yeah, no shit. I don't think any burger is worth 2 hour wait, let alone a drive thru burger.
I love their fries though and will fight anyone over it. They're just fresh and delicious. And you can always order them well-done if you prefer them a little crispier.
I know it's popular to hate in In N Out cause folks misunderstand the hype, but if you want a clean, reasonably priced, basic bitch fast food burger done to perfection then it's In N Out full stop.Ā
Iāve traveled all over the country for work for a tick over 8 years. Iāve had good burgers and bad at nearly every chain you can think of. The one that is consistently good IMO is In and Out. The cleanliness inside and friendliness of their employees is something more business need to emulate. If you donāt see somebody cleaning something at least once while you are there you may not actually be at one.
They are like the Chik Fil A of burgers. People pay for consistency even if itās not the best burger or chicken.
Flying Dutchman piping hot. Otherwise in n out loses points for every minute it gets colder. Itās wild how bad it is hot vs cold. Most burgers arenāt that sensitive.
The prospect of In N' Out is always better than the actual In N' Out. Every time enough time goes by that I crave it I again, I am again left underwhelmed.
I used to feel that way until I started getting my burgers animal style.
For like 15 years, I liked In-N-Out but I thought it was overrated and not worth the line time.
Since going animal style, In-N-Out is my go-to fast food burger joint. Shake Shack is a close second, but I havenāt lived in an area where itās been convenient.
I went to California a few years ago and I was so excited to try it from the hype. I had it 3 different times. It was below average every time. I'm convinced people from California don't have taste buds.
My hot take is that I'm convinced many people who hate in n out's burgers are basically trying to say that it's too light for their tastes. They are often from parts of the country that eat big and hearty as a point of pride. Personally, the fact that I can eat it and be productive that afternoon is part of what I like about it, it's not super greasy and heavy.
My main gripe isn't their food, it's that I'm usually too impatient to put up with the crowds there and cars spilling out into the street.
Five Guys is basically the opposite end of the spectrum though, where everything feels very heavy and floppy. The dump of fries, the fact that that a regular single patty is their "little" one - it just feels gross. And then the foil for maximum fall-apart sloppiness. When carl's Jr hammed up the messiness of their burgers in the 90s, I didn't find that a selling feature then either.
I remember the first time I went to California. I got off the plane and we went to a hotel, across the street was an In n out. I thought "awesome, let's try them!" I have never been so disappointed in a burger. It was like eating cardboard. If this is the best the CA can do, then they oughta sit this vote out.
When In N Out came to Austin TX, I decided to give them a fair shot, but it ended up being a disappointment. The meat wasnāt even seasoned, there were more veggies than burger, and the fries were just bland.
Same lol, massive disappointment. My buddy from California told me to try animal style, because they have a "secret menu" for some fucking reason, and it was even worse.
The āsecret menuā seems like such a terrible business strategy. Apparently your food is only good if you know the secret to ordering? How is that supposed to attract customers?
Maybe itās just my locale, but their burger is consistent and the ingredients are peak. The fries are meh, so I get them animal style, itās my go to burger
In and Out quality has gone to shit. Even going secret menu, animal styled, doing whatever you can to improve taste... their burgers remain a fad more than a high quality meal.
Iāve had Whataburger while it can be good it is very location specific. Went to one in Lubbock that was so dirty I probably should have just went to the gas station instead.
I used to absolutely love In n Out. Seriously loved it. But I canāt stand it anymore. I donāt know what it is either. Iāve tried no bun, no cheese, no sauceā¦ all variants. Thereās just something gross about the burger. I think maybe they just waaaay over salt their meat or something.
Not any more, patty is as thin as mcdonalds. Idk why but I see people throwing up in front of In n Out more than enjoying it, literally. It changed a lot 5 years back .
In and out is the shit and I always stop when Iām in Utah, but I have two Culverās in my town in Idaho, and itās so much better than in and out. Which is already a high bar.
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u/aquatone61 10d ago
In and Out.