patty).
In-N-Out’s unique food ethos…
When In-N-Out Burger first opened in 1948, every day before dawn, Harry Snyder would visit the local markets to pick out fresh ingredients, which he prepared by hand. Harry’s mission right from the start was to “give customers the freshest, highest quality foods you can buy” and nearly 70 years later, his mantra remains the core focus of the company’s operations.
Every burger at In-N-Out is made to order. Ingredients are never pre-packaged or frozen; everything is delivered fresh to each store and there are no microwaves, heat lamps or freezers to be found in any of In-N-Out’s restaurants. Hamburger patties are made from 100% pure beef, free of additives, fillers and preservatives of any kind, lettuce is hand-leafed and they bake their own buns using old-fashioned, slow-rising sponge dough. And fries are made from potatoes shipped straight from the farm, which are then individually cut in each store and cooked in 100% pure vegetable oil.
So high is In-N-Out’s commitment to the quality of its food that even Eric Schlosser, author of
Fast Food Nation, called it the “real deal”. “It isn’t health food, but it’s food with integrity,”
he told the New York Times.
The verdict…
At the risk of offending its army of loyal followers, in all honesty I struggle to understand what the In-N-Out fuss is all about. To me its burgers are good but not that special and the thin, basic, fast food patties and buns are not much different to what you might find at McDonald's or Burger King.
That said, the emphasis on freshness really shines through with the trimmings and the tomato, onion and crispy lettuce are definitely superior to other fast food chains.
Then there are the fries…they’re a bit, well, like Marmite – you either love them or hate them and, unfortunately, I fall into the latter category. They’re just not crisp enough and are seriously lacking in flavour.
But it’s not all bad. Ultimately at $2.15 for a hamburger; $1.65 for a portion of fries; and less than $6 for a combo meal, including a burger, fries and drink, you can’t possibly complain about the value of In-N-Out, particularly given its unwavering commitment to freshness. I may not love their food but I do love their ethos. So yes, I too am an In-N-Out fan.
Kerstin Kühn is a freelance food and travel writer, specialising in restaurant and chef stories. The former restaurant editor of Caterer and Hotelkeeper, she relocated from London to Los Angeles in 2013, where she lives on the city’s trendy East Side. With a vast network of chefs from around the world, Kerstin has profiled the likes of Michel Roux, Heston Blumenthal, Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, the Roca brothers and Massimo Bottura. She is a regular contributor to the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, FOUR Magazine, M&C Report and Spinney’s Food, and also writes her own blog,
La Goulue. You can follow Kerstin on Twitter
@LaGoulue_
