In-N-Out Burger - best thing about the U.S.A.

In-N-Out Burger in Mountain View, CA is a California burger chain. According to two young ladies visiting the U.S. from Mexico for the first time ever, it is the best thing about the United States.

For a few years now I have worked with kids in Juarez Mexico with a charity I co-founded called the Juarez Children’s Education Program. We sponsor children through school in Mexico that would otherwise drop out for lack of money. Recently two of our best students graduated from high school and came to California for 4 weeks of cultural exchange ad English immersion.

At the end of the 4 weeks, I asked them what their favorite thing was on their visit. In-N-Out burger they both answered without hesitation. Their graduation celebration had just ended so we decided to take them to the In-N-Out for a final celebration.

Both of them had the #2 combo, of a single burger with fries and a drink. I had a #1 Combo of a Double-Double, Fries and a drink ($5.54).

We took our number and set down at the spotless white and red booths. In-N-Out is family owned and runs all its own stores without franchising. They pay their employees relatively well and everyone that works there is courteous and hard working. This store is always packed, so you have to wait a good 10 minutes for your meal, but when your number is called the food is always hot and fresh. Why is that so hard for all the other fast-food chains?

Usually the girls had eaten much slower than me when we had meals. Not here, they dug right into their food with gusto. My Double-Double was great as always. The small beef patties are all fresh cooked, buns baked locally. The lettuce and tomato are crisp and fresh. American cheese is melted over the whole mess. I add grilled onions to mine. Their special sauce is thousand-island like and great.

Fries are cut right before they go in the fryer and come right out of the fryer onto you tray. They are thin, salty and hot and don’t taste like any other fries I have tried. They have an unusual spongy quality and aren’t crisp on the outside like other fries. Some people like them more than the burgers.

A few days later I took the girls back to their homes in Juarez. We flew into the El Paso airport and before crossing the border back to El Paso, I asked them where they wanted to eat. They both said In-N-Out even though they know there are none in Texas. We settled for Wendy’s, but that is another review.

Burger 4.5 spatulas out of 5
Fries 5 spatulas

In-N-Out Burger
1159 Rengstorff Ave.
Mountain View, CA
www.in-n-out.com