Best Books of April: It's Burger Time
I had my inaugural In-N-Out Burger experience last spring when BookExpo America was held in Los Angeles. Almost immediately upon arriving from Seattle I piloted a rental car filled with hungry Amazon book editors to the In-N-Out Burger on Sunset where Dave Callanan, our resident Californian, guided us through the ordering process. Eating our Double Doubles and "Animal Style" fries al fresco on a sunny afternoon, it was love at first bite, and an eye-opening understanding of why In-N-Out's fans practice a cult-like dedication in their constant craving.
In my April Best of the Month pick, In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules, Stacy Perman chronicles how the family-run California hamburger joint went on to become an American pop culture icon. Founded in 1948 by Harry Snyder and his wife Esther in Baldwin Park, CA, In-N-Out Burger attracted a devoted fanbase of cruising teens, surfers, and celebrities alike (who developed a secret, word-of-mouth shorthand for custom orders). As they expanded slowly over the years across California and into Nevada, Arizona, and Utah, they never sacrificed their core customer-service values and commitment to quality as the fast-food wars raged on.Their made-to-order story packs enough family drama to fuel an HBO biopic. After Harry died in 1976, his son Rich took over the business (and was responsible for adding discreet Bible verses to In-N-Out cups and wrappers) until his death in a 1993 plane crash. His brother Guy, a Big Lebowski-esque drag-racing rebel with a dark side, stepped in to helm the business until his accidental overdose in 1999.
Beyond burger fans, this food lit/business/biography mash-up will appeal to readers who enjoyed Rich Cohen's quirky and endearing Sweet and Low: A Family Story as well as food-based, customer-service obsessed business books like Danny Meyer's Setting the Table, Making Dough: The 12 Secret Ingredients of Krispy Kreme's Sweet Success, and Howard Schultz's Pour Your Heart Into It.
You can also whet your appetite by reading the prologue to the book and Stacy Perman's guide to In-N-Out's not-so-secret "secret menu." And, as a bonus to our readers, photographic proof of our editorial excursion, pictured as we wait patiently to tuck into our burgers.
--BTP
 |
Jim in Buena Park on April 09, 2009 at 04:36 PM
And who can forget the first time they cut certain letters out of the bumper sticker to make it read "In N Out Urge"? Ah, to be 19 again...
Orion on April 09, 2009 at 04:57 PM
It's one of the few burger joints that will grill your onions on request. Excellent, simple fare but be warned: if you eat there regularly you are going to pay for some cardiologist's Carribean vacation some day.
James Brown on April 09, 2009 at 04:59 PM
Ah; college dorm runs to Azusa's In-n-Out at midnight in '71. It was always flat crowded. I'm salivating as I write this post in a state far from my beloved In-N-Out Burger.
Geoff on April 09, 2009 at 06:25 PM
I went while on vacation in CA. Completely underwhelmed. Maybe we have too many high end burger joints that opened up in the last five years in the Philly area.
I was expecting a thick and juicy burger that melts in your mouth. I got something akin to Ruby's, which is a relatively decent burger. But nothing to go crazy over.
TikiPundit on April 09, 2009 at 06:40 PM
@ Jim in Buena Park: "And who can forget the first time they cut certain letters out of the bumper sticker to make it read "In N Out Urge"?"
Japan, 1985. First time I ever heard about I-O-B was from these T-Shirts kids were wearing!
Buster on April 09, 2009 at 06:41 PM
Had my first In-N-Out when I moved to Pomona in 1962. Never able to pass one after leaving the bar without pulling through. Nothing else comes close to that burger.
Mark on April 09, 2009 at 06:59 PM
Geoff, I think you missed the point. Inn N Out is so highly regarded because they provide high quality food and service for the same price as the stuff you get at the other fast food chains. They pay their employees well above minimum wage, and expect them to work hard for it.
Of course it doesn't compare to a 1/2 lb gourmet burger made with premium chuck and your personal favorite toppings. But you won't find a fresher, higher quality burger for under $3.
beckyj on April 09, 2009 at 07:00 PM
Midnight In-N-Out runs to the one on Indian Hill Blvd. in Claremont.....
Yes, Philly has some great burger joints (I live there now), but In-N-Out is in a class by itself (a good class).
Rob on April 09, 2009 at 07:02 PM
At In and Out in my town, any time of day, the drive-thru line wraps around the building and out the parking lot. The enclosure (inside) is SRO. These places are printing money. Me? I go double-double, protein style. MMMMmmm.
glenn on April 09, 2009 at 07:14 PM
There's an In-n-Out about 3 minutes from my house. Really hard to avoid going there every day. Great business model, great employees, and McDonalds sales and growth are flat in California 'cause of In-n-Out. It's at least a threefer.
Jrod on April 09, 2009 at 08:50 PM
1) We used to drive 45 min down the hill from Big Bear to San Bernadino just for a couple of Double-Doubles in High School and order and drink one shake while we waited for another one to go with our meal.
2) It's refreshing to hear, "That's what a hamburger's all about" shouted out when you're running in a foreign country while wearing an in-n-out t-shirt.
3) When I lived in NYC a friend who lived in SD put a double-double in the absolute zero freezer in his lab then UPS'd me the burger. Unfortunately I didn't pick it up for 3 days.
4) Once we we're driving back from Tahoe, and this friend of a friend in the car with us swore up and down he knew of a better burger than in-n-out, so we stopped at Murder Burger in Davis. Only guy I wanted to murder was the tool that made us stop and waste a perfectly good meal at that joint. He was from New Jersey, so that should have been my first clue.
Downtown ATL on April 09, 2009 at 10:26 PM
Five Guys is a gem too.
CALEB on April 09, 2009 at 11:36 PM
In my humble opinion In-N-Out is terribly overrated. Good, but nothing close to the rave reviews. I have a local joint here in Utah - Emmet's - that is just a tad more expensive and 10 times the tastiness.
Sam on April 10, 2009 at 05:56 AM
In-N-Out is great, I admit. They use quality ingredients and you can taste the freshness. That being said, Five Guys is better. In every respect. I grew up out west so my opinion isn't a result of geographic loyalty. :)
bgfred on April 10, 2009 at 07:14 AM
@Downtown ATL - five guys ($11 for burger, fries, drink!) is really an order of magnitude more expensive than In'N'Out and frankly I don't think nearly as good. I had been hearing raves about Five Guys and was underwhelmed - extremely. Bleech! Won't do it again. Any town without a better local burger stand (like In N Out) than Five Guys is a sad, sorry town. Can do much better for far less dough - even here in Charlotte!
Don on April 10, 2009 at 08:58 AM
I dig the bible verses on the bottom of the cups.
Greg Marquez on April 10, 2009 at 10:25 AM
I hate to admit it being a native Californian and all, and I do love In-N-Out particularly the secret menu items like grilled cheese sandwich, neapolitan milk shake (very good), etc. and their frys are very, very good. But I must agree that 5 Guys at least the one we've eaten at in D.C. is probably better.
Thomas on April 10, 2009 at 11:20 AM
Haven't tried Five Guys, but it does sound like an apples & oranges comparison. At In-N-Out, you can get a cheeseburger, fries & drink for less than $5 -- substantially less than inferior food at a nationwide chain costs.
mthrndr on April 10, 2009 at 08:31 PM
To compare Five Guys to In-N-Out is really apples and oranges. Five Guys cooks their fries in peanut oil and dump a whole mass of them in the bag after filling the cup. They taste like boardwalk fries. they are the best fries you can get at a burger joint.
Their burgers are awesome as well, if a bit greasy. Bottom line is, if I can't have in-n-out on the east coast, I'm happy to have five guys. (Though here in NC we have Char-gril, which destroys both Five Guys and In-N-Out. Decimates them).
Steven M on April 17, 2009 at 08:39 PM
When I first moved to L.A., it didn't take long to figure out that In-N-Out isn't your typical burger joint. But I soon discovered that nothing in SoCal beats the Hickoryburger at Apple Pan. "Quality Forever," baby. Sui generis. http://www.applepan.com/