In-N-Out Burger: The ‘Secret’ Is Out

Their empire stretches from Redding, near California's northern border, to the soon-to-be eastern outpost of Dallas, in the Lone Star State. From humble beginnings in 1948 with a single hamburger stand in Baldwin Park, CA, In-N-Out Burger now has 258 locations in five western states. This growth was accomplished by using only the freshest ingredients, focusing on a few core items, and offering superb customer service.

In-N-Out’s initial success was for none of the above reasons. It was founder Harry Snyder’s idea of having a drive-through with a two-way speaker box for the customer’s order. Up until then you would go to a drive-in and deal with a carhop. This was revolutionary in the history of fast food, and soon it was copied by Snyder’s competitors.

The real success of the chain, however, is their unchanging business model. In-N-Out does not offer many choices—just three different burgers, fries, soda fountain drinks, and three types of shakes. That’s it. (Unless, of course, you order off the secret menu—keep reading.)

Everything is fresh, nothing is frozen. The beef, for example, which comes from suppliers in California and Arizona, is all processed at one plant in Baldwin Park. Each In-N-Out location receives a fresh batch of the eighth-pound patties every other day. It is actually only five days from cow-in-the-pasture to burger-in-the-basket.

Until 1992, this gem of a fast food restaurant could only be enjoyed by a Southern California audience. In that year Nevada was permitted into the fold. Soon Northern California, Arizona, and southern Utah joined the club. Coming this year, Texas will be added. Since a new beef processing plant in Texas has to be built to accommodate the Dallas area locations, possibly this privately-held non-franchise company may finally be going nationwide.

In-N-Out Burger is so popular it has a cult following. When a new restaurant opened in Scottsdale, Arizona, people actually waited four hours for their food, with local news helicopters hovering overhead. This is the point where you thank your lucky stars you live in California.

They also have the “secret menu” (referred to as the Not-So-Secret Menu on In-N-Out's website) available at all locations, if you are in the know. Have you ordered your double-double burger animal style? How about a 4X4? This place is full of intrigue.

Then there is the lesser-known fact that biblical verse references are discreetly printed on their paper products. Could there be even more—perhaps a real secret ingredient that makes the burgers so mind-numbingly tasty? Not sure, but I know I’ve been hooked on the In-N-Out urge for quite a number of years.

My partner and I visited the Lemon Grove store last weekend. It was busy, as always. I had the double-double (double meat/double cheese) cheeseburger with grilled onions; she had the single cheeseburger in the same style. All burgers come on a freshly-baked toasted bun with tomato, hand-torn lettuce, and special “spread.” We decided to split an order of fries and a real-ice-cream chocolate shake. We found a table (not always possible) and enjoyed our order. The burger was great, as usual. This time, however, the fresh-cut fries were a bit dry. If it had not been so busy, I might have returned them. They would have cheerfully given me a new batch. It’s just that kind of place.

is located at 7160 Broadway, near the corner of Massachusetts Avenue, on the mile of meals in Lemon Grove. They take credit or debit cards, and are open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. The hours are Sunday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m.–1 a.m., and Friday and Saturday, 10:30 a.m.–1:30 a.m. You can dine in, out on the patio, or get your food to go. You can also stay in your car for the drive-through. For more locations and further information, check their website.

Download the movie