OPINIONOperations

What's so special about In-N-Out?

Restaurant Rewind: The uninitiated will be asking themselves that very question when the brand hits the East Coast. Here’s a look at the quirks that have helped make the chain a cult favorite.

If the term “double-double, animal style” is Greek to you, then you’ve likely never stood before a white-uniformed young person in a peaked cap, specifying what sort of onions you want atop your In-N-Out burger.

Plenty of regional chains enjoy a strong local following. In the instance of 75-year-old In-N-Out, we’re clearly talking about a cult—one that makes a hardcore Chick-fil-A fan seem wishy-washy. What is it about an old-line burger chain that inspires such loyalty?

The food is definitely a hook. But part of the appeal is the insider-y feel that comes with knowing the brand’s rich array of peculiarities. What other operation has a thing about palm trees? Or quotes scriptures on its fry sleeves?

Fortunately for you newbies, this week’s edition of our Restaurant Rewind podcast serves as a primer on the peculiarities that have endured the concept to generation after generation of West Coasters. It’s delivered here in anticipation of the chain’s expansion to the East Coast.

There may even be some surprises for the hardest-core current fan.

Tune in for a serving of In-N-Out-speak. Animal-style.

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