In-N-Out Burger (Anaheim East)
1168 S. State College BoulevardI think we all know I’m not a fast food guy. I eat it…occasionally out of convenience but I don’t seek out fast food.
I always plan my trips around food. I found out in early December that I was going to Los Angeles right after Christmas and there was only one place on my short list of places that I had to eat it before I came home.
My co-worker and I had an assignment at Disneyland. As exciting as that sounds, it was about an hour of work being escorted the entire time and no, we didn’t get to ride any rides or eat inside the park. I have never been to Disneyland…or Disney World, so this was a cool experience but it was really just a teaser.
We finished at Disneyland around 3:30 and hadn’t eaten lunch yet. I had a one track mind.
We headed east on Ball Road until we found an In-N-Out Burger just north of the intersection on State College Boulevard. The restaurant isn’t on the corner and it’s a really confusing place to get in to. You can enter off State College Boulevard…but it’s a weird entrance and I missed it. You can’t enter from behind the building so I had to go all the way around the block. You actually can enter off Ball Road by going through the Starbucks parking lot. We eventually figured out a way in and both of us were super excited.
The allure of In-N-Out burger for me is the rarity of the place…at least for me. Everyone knows there are now Midwest or East Coast locations so it’s a treat whenever you head out west.
The restaurant is simple. It’s set up like every other fast food joint. There’s a small order counter with their very simple menu hanging above it as you walk in the door.
The thing about In-N-Out burgers menu is that there are only officially four things on it. Double-Double, Cheeseburger, Hamburger, and French Fries. Now, there are “secret” menu items which add burger patties, special sauce to fries, etc. but they’re not officially on the menu. You just have to know and ask for them.
I decided to just keep it simple. I ordered a Double-Double, an order of fries, and a large Coke. The cost for my meal was just under $11.
Order numbers are called out over a loud speaker when they are ready. It took a little under 10 minutes for my number to be called. I grabbed the tray and headed to a table in the dining room. The chairs aren’t really comfortable…as they are not meant to be so you don’t loiter (a trick of all fast food places) and the color scheme of the restaurant reminds me of a Five Guys or Steak ‘n Shake. It’s just a simple red and white subway tile pattern with a grey tile floor. Like so many other things about this place, it’s just a typical fast food joint feel.
I started with the fries. I really wish I had at least added cheese. They are pretty good on their own as they’re fresh cut potatoes that are fried in sunflower oil. One of the “secret menu” items is to get these “Animal Style” which tops them with the cheese sauce, the “secret spread” they use on the burgers, and grilled onions.
Once I polished off the fries, I dug in to the burger. I’m not a tomato guy so I did pull that off but I left everything else on. I got the Double Double which is two burger patties with two slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato and secret spread. The spread is a combination of mayo, ketchup, and pickle relish. The only other time I’ve eaten at an In-N-Out burger was eight years ago in Utah, I wiped the sauce off because I have a thing with mayo. I’ve kind of gotten over that as long as it’s not plain white mayonnaise. I’m trying real hard to leave on the sauces and that’s really important at In-N-Out burger. The burger itself is fine. It’s a pretty tasty fast food burger, but it’s really the spread that makes In-N-Out burger so special.
Like so many other regional chains, the lure of In-N-Out Burger to most people outside of Southern California is not having one in your backyard. As a fast food chain, they’re good, but it’s still fast food. The business model of making it hard to get really works in their favor.
SW Michigan Dining 