In-N-Out Burger
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fast food restaurants |
| Founded | Baldwin Park, California, USA (1948) |
| Headquarters | Irvine, California |
Key people | Esther Snyder, President Mark Taylor, VP of Operations Carl Van Fleet, VP of Planning |
| Products | burgers, french fries, soft drinks & milkshakes |
| Revenue | N/A |
Number of employees | N/A |
| Website | www.in-n-out.com |
In-N-Out Burger (corporate headquarters: Irvine, California) is a privately owned and operated fast food restaurant chain in the Western United States. The company was founded in 1948 in California, and as of 2006, has expanded to open stores in Arizona and Nevada. The chain has developed a die-hard customer base by maintaining a simple menu of high-quality hamburgers and french fries made to order with fresh ingredients. It is one of the few fast-food chains in the United States to pay its employees significantly more than federal and state mandated minimum wages.
History
In-N-Out's first location was opened on October 22, 1948 by Harry and Esther Snyder at the northwest corner of what is now the intersection of the San Bernardino Freeway, Interstate 10 (I-10) and Francisquito Avenue in the Los Angeles suburb of Baldwin Park, California.
In 1984, at the southwest corner of the same intersection, the company established In-N-Out University, for the purpose of training its management-level employees in a "real world" setting. As the university was a full-service restaurant, its operations were similar to that of any other In-N-Out restaurant and to the casual observer it was like any of the others except for its larger size (floor area). In 2004 the university was torn down and in its place a new restaurant with a 75-seat indoor dining area was constructed. After its completion, the original location was closed. The original kitchen is planned to be preserved as part of an upcoming In-N-Out Museum.
In 1992, In-N-Out opened its first non-Southern California restaurants in Las Vegas (one at Sahara Avenue west of Interstate 15 and the other at the intersection of Charleston Boulevard and Nellis Boulevard). They also began expansion into Northern California and opened additional Las Vegas-area restaurants and by 2000, had opened locations in Arizona. Additional Nevada restaurants in Reno, Sparks, and Carson City were opened in 2005. The company is planning expansion into southwestern Utah.
On December 15 1993, In-N-Out's president, Rich Snyder, son of the founders, and four other passengers died in a plane crash on approach to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California after opening store #93 in Fresno. Snyder was aboard a charter plane (Israel Aircraft Industries 1124A with tail number N309CK). The charter aircraft followed in a Boeing 757 for landing, became caught in its wake turbulence, rolled into a deep descent and crashed near the intersection of California State Route 55 and Edinger Avenue. The crash investigation led to the FAA requiring an adequate period of time for small aircraft that are following heavy aircraft in order to allow the wake turbulence to dissipate. As a result of this crash, Rich's brother, Guy, took over the presidential seat.
In 1999, Guy died of an overdose of Vicodin[1]. Esther Snyder, the matriarch of the founding family, is currently holding presidency with the company.
Due to relatively few locations (compared to other fast food chains), a business model where the food is made to order, and the high quality of the food, the drive-through and in-store lines can be long: It is not uncommon to wait up to 15 minutes or longer to receive an order.
Locations are open from 10:30 AM until 1:00 AM, Sunday through Thursday, and 1:30AM Friday and Saturday. A handful of locations have earlier closing times.
In December 2005, the 200th store was opened in Temecula, California.
All locations are company-owned. The privately owned corporation does not currently plan to franchise or to take the company public.
Turbulence in 2006
On January 5 2006 a lawsuit exposed a possible family feud over the chain's corporate leadership. Richard Boyd, one of In-N-Out's vice presidents and co-trustee of two-thirds of the company stock, accused sole heir Lynsi Martinez and allied corporate executives of trying to force out Esther L. Snyder and attempting to fire Boyd unreasonably. LA Times 1/7/2006. Pre-empting the suit, Martinez and Snyder appeared in a special December video message to employees with Mark Taylor (Martinez's brother-in-law and another Vice President) telling employees not to believe everything they hear.
On January 12, 2006, Boyd faced a lawsuit of his own. In-N-Out sued Boyd, alleging he had construction work done on his property and charged it to the company, as well as favoring contractors with uncompetitive bids.
On March 14, 2006, Boyd returned fire with a defamation lawsuit against accounting firm Grant Thornton and GT employee Lawrence A. Rosipalja over alleged intimidating and misleading statements made to In-N-Out employees about the corporate dispute.
On March 31, 2006, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge temporarily suspended Boyd from his role as co-trustee of 65% of the company stock while deciding if it should be made permanent. Northern Trust Bank of California took Boyd's place as co-trustee until a hearing on May 10, 2006.
On April 5, 2006, the judge dismissed two of In-N-Out's claims against Boyd. A trial date of October 17, 2006 was set.
A settlement was reached around the May 10, 2006 hearing. Most terms are private under a confidentiality agreement between all parties. Boyd's severance from being an employee and co-trustee is permanent.
Menu items
One reason In-N-Out has not expanded far outside Southern California is that their food is never frozen. The delivery trucks are only able to travel a limited distance from In-N-Out's sole meat-packing plant, where the company does its own boning, grinding, and pattying of fresh beef chuck—and due to logistical and cost issues, it is not likely they will open other meat packing plants. This commitment to "freshness" has limited the restaurant's expansion to Northern California, Nevada, and Arizona.
In-N-Out focuses on providing a basic menu with few changes since the restaurant was established in 1948. The simple menu consists of the following:
- Hamburger
- Cheeseburger
- "Double-Double" - a double cheeseburger (two slices of cheese and two meat patties), In-N-Out's most popular menu item
- French fries (one size only)
- Milk shakes - chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla
- Drinks - Coke, Diet Coke, 7 Up, Barq's root beer, Dr. Pepper, lemonade, iced tea, milk, and coffee.
Ordering an In-N-Out burger
Despite the apparent simplicity of the menu, burgers can be customized in a variety of ways.
All burgers consist of one or more 1/8 lb. beef patties cooked to "medium", and served on a lightly toasted sponge dough bun. Cheeseburgers and Double-Doubles also feature one and two slices of American cheese, respectively. The default style of burger includes a spread similar to Thousand Island dressing, tomato, and a portion of lettuce. In addition, customers will always be asked if they want to add onions (fresh or grilled). Although not included on the stock burger, In-N-Out can add pickles to the burger; they may also substitute mustard and/or ketchup for the spread.
All ingredients, as well as the toasting of the bun, may be specified as light or extra.
The "Secret" menu
There are also "secret" item specials, variations of the basic menu that are not listed on the menus in the stores, nor advertised. A few of these variations are detailed on the company's web site for all to see.[2] Some items on the "secret" menu have a slightly different price due to the addition or removal of ingredients — in particular, the meat and cheese.
- 4x4
- Four meat patties and four slices of cheese.
- 2x4
- Two meat patties and four slices of cheese
- 3 by Meat
- Three meat patties without cheese.
- Animal Style
- A mustard cooked beef patty served on a bun with pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, extra spread and grilled onions.
- Animal Style Fries
- Fries with cheese, spread, and grilled onions.
- Double Meat
- Double Double without cheese.
- Flying Dutchman
- Two meat patties, two slices of melted cheese and nothing else.
- Fries "Light"
- Almost raw fries.
- Fries "Well"
- Extra crispy fries, simply cooked longer.
- Grilled Cheese
- Two slices of melted cheese, tomato, lettuce and spread on a bun, with no meat. You can also get a Grilled Cheese Animal Style (grilled onions are added).
- Neopolitan Shake
- All three shake flavors (strawberry, vanilla and chocolate) combined in one shake.
- Protein Style
- Instead of a bun, the burger is wrapped in lettuce. You can also get a Grilled Cheese Protein Style.
- Veggie Burger
- A burger without the meat and cheese.
Burgers
The bulk of the secret menu revolves around the burgers. Animal Style is the most popular "secret" style. In addition to the standard toppings, Animal Style burgers include pickles, extra spread, grilled onions, and mustard fried onto each meat patty. 3×3 (3 by 3), 4×4, or variations of m × c, refers to a burger with a varied amount of meat patties (first number, m) and slices of cheese (second number, c). For example, a burger with six meat patties and three slices of cheese would be a 6×3. The last known record for this was a 100x100.
Although big burgers have been very popular in the past, the company has changed the policy: the largest burger that will be made is an 8x8[citation needed]. They will, however, add extra cheese upon request.
It is possible to order a burger with no meat (a Grilled Cheese) or no cheese (such as a Double Meat or Triple Meat). Unlike some restaurants which use a vegetable patty, at In-N-Out, a Veggie Burger is a sandwich containing only vegetables, and no meat or cheese.
In-N-Out has two ways of providing a burger with no bun, which are popular among Atkins dieters and no/low carbohydrate eaters. Protein Style, or a Protein Burger, replaces the hamburger bun with large leaves of lettuce, creating a lettuce wrap burger. The Flying Dutchman is simply two meat patties and two slices of cheese; it includes no bun, vegetables, or spread. For eat-in orders, the bottom patty is placed on top of a burger wrapper, alternating meat, cheese, meat, cheese. For to-go orders, the Dutchman is arranged meat, cheese, cheese, meat, and placed inside of the wrapper.
Chopped Chilies adds mild (pickled) chopped peppers to the bottom layer of the burger. In addition, sides of chilies are available upon request.
Onion styles
Onions may be present on the burger in many different forms.
Regular Onions is what a customer receives by default, if they want onions. This refers to one full slice of onions that is not cooked, but rather placed on top of the center patty or cheese slice while the meat is still on the grill, giving the onion time to warm and soften its flavor. Raw Onions are not warmed at all, and instead placed between the spread on the bottom bun and the tomato, keeping them cold. These can also be ordered as Chopped Raw Onions. Grilled Onions indicates chopped, grilled onions placed in the same location as 'regular onions'. Whole Grilled Onions consists of a whole slice of onion placed on the grill and cooked until it is soft.
French fries
Depending on the season, In-N-Out uses Kennebec or Russet potatoes and slices every individual potato by hand shortly before it enters the fryer. Standard fries are cooked four to six minutes (or until "golden brown") in 100% pure, cholesterol-free vegetable oil. A salt and pepper mixture is added after the fries are cooked, although ordering a No-Salt Fry will omit this. Fries Well-Done are cooked for a longer period, making them crispier. Fries Light are fries that have been cooked for a shorter period, making them softer. Fries Lightly Well are cooked longer than standard fries, so they are more crispy but not as long as fries well-done, which often leaves them rock hard and full of oil. Although not typical, a customer can order a fry cooked for a time they specify, such as 30 seconds (for example, a 30-second fry). Animal [Style] Fries are topped with two slices of cheese, spread, and grilled onions, and are served with a fork, salt packet, and napkin. Cheese Fries adds 2 slices of melted cheese on top of the fries, although you can specify exactly how many slices you would prefer.
In-N-Out french fries have always been fried in vegetable oil, even before it became fashionable. Other chains had used lard (or, like McDonald's, beef tallow) until the discovery of its negative health effects caused a switch.
Drinks
Rather than ordering a single flavor shake, a Neapolitan Shake is a mixture of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry shake. Root beer floats are part vanilla shake and part root beer. Large and Extra Large shakes are also available. The cup sizes for these shakes are one below those of soft drinks, that is, a Large Shake is a Medium Soft Drink cup, while an Extra Large Shake is a Large Soft Drink. There is no small size shake, just the standard 14oz. shake cup.
Fountain drinks can also be ordered mixed together. For example, Lemon-Up is a mixture of lemonade and 7 Up.
Store layout
Many In-N-Out stores are based on one of a set of templates or "cookie-cutter" blueprints (chosen based on available space and expected traffic levels) that have changed over the years. Other stores are designed to be unique to fit into the surrounding architecture, or to stand out. Notable "unique" In-N-Out locations include the store on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco and the restaurant in Westwood in Los Angeles. The typical location's interior layout includes the following:
- customer service counter with several computers and registers
- indoor dining room (benches and fixed chairs)
- kitchen (called the stand)
- food preparation area (where tomatoes, onions, etc. are processed)
- storage areas for the paper goods (napkins, bags, etc.)
- storage areas for the "dry" food goods (potatoes, buns, etc.)
- walk-in refrigerator (no freezers) for the perishable goods (meat patties, lettuce, etc.)
- mechanical/electrical rooms
- restrooms
- employee locker rooms.
The exterior layout includes the following:
- one or two drive-through lanes with corresponding service windows
- outdoor dining area (tables and benches, and overhead canopies)
Variations of this layout exist depending on the age of the restaurant, physical lot size constraints, city zoning ordinance, and the restaurant's relationship to neighboring structures or its proximity to the street. For example, many older restaurant designs are solely a drive-through/walk-up layout with a "two-box" design (that is, the kitchen was separated from the remainder of the restaurant by one of the drive-through lanes). This layout is typically comprised of two vehicle lanes, a single window that customers can "walk-up" to and order, and outdoor seating (only). As noted above, one drive-through lane is on the side of the kitchen closest to the street (referred to as the "front" lane) and the other lane is on the other side (referred to as the "rear" lane). Indoor dining at these restaurants is not available. Because of its size, the kitchen is limited to a single customer service register, one cooktop grill, a countertop, two sets of fryers (for the french fries) with two fry baskets each, one set of soda and shake dispensers, a sink, and a "spinner" that is used to centrifugally remove excess water from the freshly diced potatoes.
As a result of a larger restaurant site, newer restaurants now include an indoor dining area in addition to the outdoor dining area. Conversely, because of the greater ability to serve 'dine-in' customers, these stores will have only one drive-through lane. Because the kitchen is larger, there are generally multiple registers, two or three grills, larger countertops, multiple fryers, etc. Depending on the location, and particularly if it is in a heavily developed or densely built area, a few locations with indoor dining areas will not have drive-throughs.
The In-N-Out located in Barstow, California, is fitted with four grills and ten fryers, an amusement-park style line, and cavernous dining room. The majority of this location's business is a result of those traveling to and from Southern California and Las Vegas on Interstate 15, putting Barstow in the middle of a long drive. It is not uncommon for the restaurant to be incredibly busy during the day; the announced order numbers will cycle past 100 between joining the line and finishing your meal.
The signature colors for In-N-Out are white, red, and yellow. The white is used for the buildings' exterior walls and the employees' (associates') basic uniform, red is used for the buildings' roofs and associates' aprons/hats, and yellow is used for the decorative band on the roof. Naturally, variations in the application of the colors on the building will occur depending on the architecture of each restaurant.
Corporate culture
In-N-Out is one of the very few fast-food chains in the United States to pay its associates significantly more than the federally mandated minimum wage of $5.15 per hour and California's minimum wage of $6.75 per hour — currently starting pay is a minimum of $9.00 per hour. For its full-time associates, the company offers complete employee benefits [3], almost unheard of in the rest of the industry [citation needed]. In addition, 'fringe' benefits available to all associates include an annual company picnic, gifts at Christmas, the opportunity to participate in a variety of other company-sponsored activities, as well as paid holidays and paid vacations. On average, each of its 200+ store managers earns just under $100,000 annually, and have been with the company for 13 years. All of the restaurants are closed on Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter. Furthermore, In-N-Out is highly selective in the hiring process of its associates. As a result of these factors, In-N-Out enjoys lower employee turnover, better-trained associates and higher efficiency. It is one of the few chains to receive a positive mention in the book Fast Food Nation.
The company operates on the principle that its customers, like its associates, are important as exemplified by the following In-N-Out "golden rules":[citation needed]
- Rule #1 - The customer is always right; and
- Rule #2 - If, by chance, the customer makes a mistake, refer back to Rule #1.
In-N-Out is active in the communities it serves. Every year the company provides free burgers to participants marching in the Rose Parade, provides cans for donations, matches customer donations 3-to-1 in April for National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and underwrites various fundraisers to support local charities and non-profit organizations.[citation needed]
Advertising
In-N-Out generally relies on positive 'word-of-mouth' for its advertising. Television advertisements are sporadic; for the most part, when the ads appear, the hamburger, or product, is the focus of the commercial - In-N-Out rarely relies on spokespersons or actors for its commercials, though at one time John Goodman voiced a radio spot. Radio advertisements are equally rare and are generally limited to the characteristic jingle: "In-N-Out, In-N-Out. That's what a hamburger's all about." However, in the past, the Snyders have sponsored Christmas music programming and given voiceovers expressing the meaning of the holiday. In addition to the jingle, there are several In-N-Out slogans including: "Quality You Can Taste" and "Cleanliness You Can See".
The company also makes popular bumper stickers that are ubiquitous in Southern California. However, instead of reading "IN-N-OUT BURGER", many have been modified to read "IN-N-OUT URGE" by cutting off the end letters of the "B" and "R". New stickers given out by In-N-Out stores now simply read "IN-N-OUT" to preclude such modification.
Trademarks
In-N-Out has several trademarked/service marks registered with the US Patent and Trade Office including:
- That's What a Hamburger's All About
- Quality You Can Taste
- Freshness You Can Taste
- Fresh! Every Step of the Way
- The Best Enterprise Is a Free Enterprise
- Double-Double
- INO
- Burger Television
- Quad-Quad
- Five by Five
- Entre-Y-Salga, Entrada-Y-Salida [Spanish language versions of "In-N-Out"]
- 3 X 3
- 4 X 4
- Protein Style
- Animal Style
In-N-Out uses billboards strategically located on roads leading to individual restaurants, ie. "2.5 miles ahead... and the board will have a large replica of a Double-Double on it". A few years ago some of the billboards actually had the burgers "giving off steam" making the burgers "look" hot and steaming as motorists drove by.
Cult following
The burger chain has developed a cult following, primarily because of its reputation for adhering to the notions that fast food should be made from scratch and that the whims of the customer should be entertained. [4] A favorite among celebrities (an early example being Bob Hope), Vanity Fair has even served In-N-Out burgers at its post-Oscars parties. [5] Angelina Jolie, for example, confessed that she left the 2003 Academy Awards ceremony early, dressed in her glamorous outfit, and stopped at an In-N-Out on the way home.[6] Actor Tom Cruise is also known to be a big In-N-Out fan to the point where most of his films will often have the company's van providing unofficial kraft services. Students at Beverly Hills High School frequently sell In-N-Out Burgers to teachers and students on campus to raise money for school clubs and events.
The chain has also become an anti-corporate alternative to fast food restaurants such as McDonald's (which was founded eight years before In-N-Out in nearby San Bernardino). When the location at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf opened, local business leaders said that they opposed every other fast food chain except In-N-Out because they wanted to maintain the flavor of family owned, decades-old businesses in the area. [7]
Even the opening of a new In-N-Out location becomes an event. When one opened in Scottsdale, Arizona, there was a four-hour wait for food, and news helicopters whirled above the parking lot. [8]
In 1999, after Sergeant Andrew Ramirez, who had been a POW for a month in Serbia, was released, his first request was for a Double-Double (his mother got one to him). [9]
In-N-Out has been referenced in several movies and TV shows, including The Big Lebowski and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Trivia
- In-N-Out offers a cookout trailer that can be hired for private or corporate events. This trailer offers hamburgers, cheeseburgers, double-doubles, grilled cheese, 20 oz. fountain drinks, and potato chips (instead of fries) to hungry patrons. A hot oil vat is reportedly unsafe in a moving vehicle, hence the potato chips.
- Prior to converting to computerized cash registers, the orders were taken on color-coded notepads (green for the front drive-through window, pink for the rear drive-through window, and white for the walk-up window)
- Founder Harry Snyder's favorite movie was Stanley Kramer's It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World in which individuals look for a hidden treasure and find it under the crossed palm trees — "under the W", where the middle two of four palms formed an 'X', which is why many stores have crossing palm trees in front, and some have two.
- During periods when the drive-through line is really long, an associate is sent to personally take orders from the cars waiting to be served. Today, these employees enter the orders on a PDA-like device, called the Handheld.
- In-N-Out stickers are available on request as well as paper hats.
- After accepting only cash in its many years in business, In-N-Out began accepting Visa and MasterCard for payment on September 15, 2005, beginning at the University of California, Irvine location. In-N-Out does not currently accept American Express.
- In-N-Out has inspired famous chef Thomas Keller to open a hamburger restaurant.[10]
Bible references
In-N-Out prints discreet references to Bible verses on their paper utensils. The print is small and out of the way, and only contains the book, chapter and verse numbers (for example, "Proverbs 3:5"), not the actual text of the passages. The Snyders are a religious Christian family, and most likely these particular Bible verses have special meaning for them.
- Burger and cheeseburger wrappers
- Revelation 3:20—"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me."
- Beverage cups and antenna toppers
- John 3:16—"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
- Milkshake cups
- Proverbs 3:5—"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."
- Double-Double wrapper
- Nahum 1:7—"The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him."
- Paper water cups, or "R-9's"
- John 14:6 —"Jesus answered, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one cometh unto the Father but by Me."
Criticism
 |
- The main criticisms that people have of In-N-Out burger are the lack of an expansive menu. On the other hand, many feel that this in In-N-Out's strength; it serves few items but does them extremely well.
- Others criticize the french fries, either complaining that they do not have enough salt, or that they do not taste right.
- For the former case, the restaurant offers salt (and the associates will add extra salt to the fries), and most do not realize that the flavor is a side effect of the fries being freshly cut from potatoes.
- Also, some feel that the restaurant takes too long to prepare food; this could be because the food is never pre-made but made to order.
- Others are uncomfortable with the Bible verses in the food, although these are hard to notice without attempting to find them.
- Many are upset that In-N-Out does not list the amount of trans fat in their food, when other competing fast food restaurants such as McDonald's[11], Burger King[12], Jack in the Box[13] and Wendy's[14] do.
Other In-N-Out Burgers
There is a drive-through restaurant in Gainesville, Florida named "In-N-Out Burger" that is not affiliated with the In-N-Out Burger chain.
References
- Schlosser, Eric (2001) Fast Food Nation Perennial.
- Snopes.com article on Biblical quotes on In-N-Out cups and wrappings
- The Secret Behind A Burger Cult by Tom McNichol, New York Times
- Paradise in a Bun, Hold the Meat by Melissa Clark, New York Times
- The Red Carpet Leads To a Drive-Through by Patrick McGeehan, New York Times
- In-N-Out Burger is giving McDonald's a run for its money by Carleen Hawn
- In-N–Out Burger Beefs Up the Wharf by Jenny Strasburg, San Francisco Chronicle
- San Francisco job applicants come by the dozen to interview for jobs at a new In-N-Out restaurant; $9.25 per hour plus meal by Steve Rubenstein, San Francisco Chronicle
- In-N-Out Burger carved a niche in the competitive fast-food market by sticking with the basics by Frank Green, qsrweb.com.