Fine Dining - In-N-Out Burger (vs. Whataburger for Septemburger) feat. Raj Rawal (Tastemade)

Episode Date: September 11, 2024

Septemburger rolls on! Formerly of Tastemade, producer Raj Rawal joins me to talk about a restaurant he's very passionate about: In-N-Out Burger The Eat Deets tackle everything from the founder's untimely passing in a plane crash and the struggles with substance abuse of the sons, to In-N-Out's brand loyalty with 7-Up surviving a rift with Pepsi The Secret Menu Mini-Game: Vehicular Goodies An injured employee is helped out of the restaurant by a manager mid-lunch rush in a noteworthy show of human decency What's Going On Over There with the overly competitive drivers in the parking lot? They gave us paper hats! Septemburger: In-N-Out faces off with Whataburger in the first round of the tournament What we ate: French Fries (Well Done) In-N-Out Hamburger Mustard Fried Hamburger with Toasted Bun Animal Style Hamburger with Grilled Onions Black & White Shake Raj details his worst and best restaurant experiences ever at the Calibration Station "Fine" Dining is now on video! Head on over to my YouTube to watch this episode! Music by: James McEnelly (@Ramshackle_Music) Theme Song by: Kyle Schieffer (@JazzyJellyfish) Segment Transitions Voiced by: Sandy Rose "Fine" Dining is on Patreon! Get an extra episode every month (I just released the episode for the other New York restaurant I reviewed: Ess-a-Bagel with my girlfriend Joyce as she reeeeally wanted to try NYC bagels), extended Yelp from Strangers segments every other week, merch discounts, download access to our music including the 7 singles from our Olive Garden musical, and more! Patreon Producers: Joyce Van, & Sue Ornelas   Get the 5 Survival Tips for Casual Dining at www.finediningpodcast.com!   Send in your In-N-Out Burger stories at [e-mail].   Follow the show on TikTok and Instagram @finediningpodcast Follow Raj on Instagram & TikTok @asaprajy   Let me know where I should go next by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, PodcastAddict, Overcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. I read every one!   Next week on "Fine" Dining: White Castle. I drove all the way to Las Vegas to eat at this notorious stoner destination with host of the Visit Vegas Places podcast, Coyal Harrison. I give a full review to the no. 8 seed in the Septemburger bracket one week before their showdown with the top-rated Shake Shack. Ever work at White Castle? Send in your stories to [e-mail]

On this week's delicious episode of the fine dining podcast, September, let's go. What a burger versus in and out. 34 times I think I had in and out in like the 92 days I was here. How is there a four star review that's like, it's like eating in hell. From this point forward, the word cheese will be bleeped because Michael finds it offensive. Hello and welcome back to the Fine Dining Podcast, the search for the most mediocre restaurant in America. I'm your host Michael Ornelas and September-ger rolls on.

We are in week two. Last week on the kickoff show, I covered five restaurants. We saw Raleigh's advance over Steak and Shake. We saw Culver's go down to Freddy's frozen custard and steak burgers. And I revisited Whataburger, giving it a score, putting it against this week's restaurant, the number five seed In-N-Out Burger. I went to In-N-Out with Foodie Extraordinaire. By way of New Jersey, he is an LA-based producer.

He's worked with Taste Made. His name is Rajwalwal, and he loves In-N-Out. I do love In-N-Out. It is so important to me, as living here now, almost over 12 years. And it is just like the most comforting hug that you can have. It's insane. Well, what's interesting is it's up against Whataburger

in the first round and that's what I grew up with. That was my warm hug growing up. So we'll get into it later. We'll see how it does. But because this is a Septemberger episode, instead of doing two parts, we're going to squish it all like one nice burger and just chop it all down in one week So I am gonna be doing a standard review But when we get to the burgers, I will be saving the round two and three burgers for my patreon

You get a free episode. All you have to do is follow the patreon But it is free to everybody at the end of the month You can hear the semi-finals and finals of the September Gurt Tournament, see how it went. So I am excited to get to it. We will be reviewing In-N-Out on three criteria. We'll be talking about its atmosphere. We'll be talking about its service. And we'll be talking about its food. Mmm.

Delicious, Raj. Still hungry. Are you? I could eat like ten more of those burgers and still be satisfied. And I will say, I am still looking for the most mediocre restaurant. Don't get me wrong, just because September is a tournament pitting things against each other in the name of good, I am still your guiding light of mediocrity. And we are trying to find that perfect 5.00 dining experience out of 10.

Is it in and out? Our table is ready. So let's go find out. Take a look at the menu, nothing but beef, so fire up that grill and fry up your soul. We're looking for something that is better than mediocre It's time for the burger September Yes it's time for the test They can only want Victor on the burger September Yeah we're looking for some Perfection on the bun

Just be the best burger that you can be Somewhere between heaven and ecstasy I can see that hunger is in your eyes You're going for glory with a side of pride It's such a burger! Okay, Raj, we're gonna dive into reviewing the restaurant in just a little bit, but before we do that, we have to lay the groundwork. Of course.

I want to talk about the history of In-N-Out, but before I get into that, what is your history, just real briefly, your history with In-N-Out? So In-N-Out Burger is something I'd heard about my entire life, initially through pop culture and media. I grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, so we don't have it out there. And all of my cousins would do these trips to California, and for some reason, I would just be, like, left out. I think what was fascinating to me is, like, all my cousins would go and talk about In-N-Out and bring me back an In-N-Out shirt,

then I'd hear about it in, like, swingers, or we'd go into In-N-Out Burger, and it would just be in every L.A. movie. And I'm like, what the hell, man? What is this thing? What is this thing everyone's talking about and I've been to California once as a kid to see my cousins in the Bay Area But then what sucks about living in New Jersey and having your whole family there everyone from California Flies out there because the massive people's there then I interned here at 20th Century Fox on avatar in

summer of 2009 I was 18 years old about to be 19 literally the second I got off the plane at LAX, like Miley Cyrus. You beelined it for In-N-Out. Oh, we beelined it to the LAX In-N-Out. My brother was living here for two months. My older brother, he took me there immediately. And I got a double double animal style.

And the hype had been built up for me for so long. And that's the thing, it's like we had the internet, but on social media, it was just MySpace music and talking to your crush. It wasn't food wasn't the biggest like Tom being one of your eight best friends. Yeah. I think that was the thing is that like, I know one was food reviewing it and like even websites, you know, would give recipes for in and out imitation burgers. And I was like, I don't want to make that crap. I want to have it. And when I saw the price point and my brother turns to me he was 25 at the time I was 18 and he goes oh you're paying for this I'm like what the hell I'm a poor college student and then I look at the

prices you're like oh I can do that oh I can do this and I was like oh let's get a shake a black and white shake and make it happen and it felt like when I had the first bite it was like me trying a medium rare filet mignon for the first time in bacon, which are both sacrilege to Hindu culture. But I've been eating these things when I was six and I took a bite, it was just like pure bliss. I was like, oh my gosh, this is what's sacrilege? This is the most delicious thing I've ever had.

Yeah, that summer for the three months I was interning here, I think I had an in and out. Oh gosh, my 18 year old body. I think it was, I don't know what a phrase. It has stayed with you. Don't get yourself fooled. 34 times I think I had it in and out in like the 92 days I was here.

It's just different on the highway. I get it though, when you get, especially a fast food affordable obsession, it is really hard. Like when I first discovered Dave's Hot Chicken, it was about a couple months of like, oh, I'm having this every fourth, fifth day. Oh yeah, I remember going to the first location in 2018,

the one off of Western and in the little shopping mall. Oh my gosh, it was like I waited in line for an hour and it was fantastic. It was worth it. It was everything I have wanted in chicken. In-N-Out is everything I wanted in a burger because I, for the life of me, only had Burger King, McDonald's, shout out Wendy's.

I do love Wendy's. Love Wendy's, because Wendy's was technically the only fresh, not frozen burger I had. Should I put Wendy's in next year's September burger bracket? I think they are the deserving, mainstream, nationwide fast food franchise, because a junior bacon sh** burger at Wendy's is life-affirming and it's just phenomenal

even with inflation dollars on it it is so good. All right i'll declare it now for September 2025 the first entrant Wendy's Wendy's but yeah in and out it just it feels like it was there for you it was there for me it feels like a second home i understand the hype and i obviously get very defensive against other east kidisters who claim that I've gotten to West Coast but I was like dude the burger is great like sometimes good is good good is good so it's good all right we're gonna get into it we're gonna talk about the history of in-and-out awesome we're gonna jump into this week's Eat Deets

Eatery Details Eatery Details In 1948, Harry Snyder introduced California's first drive-through hamburger stand, In-N-Out, in Baldwin Park, offering true drive-through service with the introduction of the first two-way speaker box. Yeah, no, Baldwin Park. I mean, everyone's passed that on the town. I think I got a t-shirt and a hat from there one time. Yeah. Snyder, along with his friend, Charlie Nodden, pooled $5,000 to establish the first in-and-out eatery

in Baldwin Park, California, allocating most funds to building the establishment. So most of them were structural. That's where the 5,000 went. And that's really not that much to start a restaurant. I wish you can build anything for $5,000. That's actually phenomenal and mind blowing to hear. That's crazy, right?

Every day before dawn, Harry Snyder personally visited meat and produce markets to handpick fresh ingredients for the burgers while his wife, Esther, managed all the accounting for the restaurant from their home nearby. I'm like talking through like, I'm trying to push down the burps that are building up because we did just eat. Oh, yeah. In 1954, the iconic In-N-Out arrow made its debut, replacing the original No Delay sign,

with associates adopting slogans like The Arrow Points to Pride and We all work under the same arrow. Love the pride part. I live in West Hollywood, so I'm pro-pride. Yeah, yeah. The first animal style burger was created in 1961 in response to customer requests, featuring mustard-cooked beef patties

with hand-leafed lettuce, tomato, pickle, extra spread, and grilled onions, served on pink butcher paper for a more appealing dining experience in cars. I think the anytime you add pink to an aesthetic, it gives a positive affirmation or things are all good. Look at the success of the Barbie film. Pink has never taken over more than it did in 2023.

Than it did. It was the pink's best year, I think, in like 50 years. Now, elaborating on the animal style, the famous animal style option on In-N-Out's secret menu originated from late night customers referred to as animals by In-N-Out workers due to rowdy behavior in parking lots. A manager, while making a customized burger with lettuce, tomato, mustard-cooked patty,

pickles, extra spread, and grilled onions, shared the creation with a customer who loved it, leading to the name Animal Style. I got to say my favorite Kesha Allen and I just saw her live as Animal, her debut with the hit anthem TikTok. So I'm all aligned with this. I feel like Kesha's audience at an In-N-Out, they'd be like, yeah, they're animals. They're animals. Yeah. Yeah. Love it. In 1963, In-N-Out responded to customer demand by officially adding the Double Double Burger to the menu after initially inviting guests to try a Double Double with a store banner.

So it was it was originally just like a oh here's a crazy idea and then it became a menu item. Yeah I mean that's how you kind of get hype going. That's like the original PR machine right there. Yeah. Got that one banner. It's like a pop-up, but all it is is, hey, we put on one more patty. Yeah. Always committed to customer satisfaction,

In-N-Out introduced collectible glasses in 1970, featuring character, movie, and holiday themes, marking the beginning of a long-running promotional campaign. The collectible glasses were sold at only 29 cents with a Pepsi. These are now highly sought after collector's items, though only the Christmas and Indiana Jones Temple of Doom glasses display the In-N-Out name.

That's so fascinating that they were doing... And see, I wouldn't even know because I'm like obsessed with watching old advertisements for McDonald's and fast food ads. This is what I do in my free time I'm not cool It's interesting because to know that there was a major mission picture tied into in and out There's no way I would have known about them the East Coast right I know about all the shit from McDonald's and Burger Kings and everything they did with movie line activations

I really missed that era of fast food, but that's so cool. Specifically with Happy Meals, we're so fun as a kid. Chasing them down, a movie comes out. Like literally a new movie comes out and you're like, the first thing I wanna do is see what McDonald's is doing about it. My mom still has every single Batman Forever glass mug that we got.

We had all the teeny beanie babies. The teeny beanie babies. I remember when that was a huge product integration. I think it's so cool that they did that I didn't even know that I just learned that that's McDonald's has cups out right now. I know that people are they're going back to nostalgia Yeah, they're trying to do them and they even did a PR release. I love a collectible. Yeah, I really do I'm obsessed with the collectible when I still collect criteria and blu-rays I collect snow globes for every country. I to. You can see all my blue-rays, you can see all my board games. Yeah, I alphabetize that shit probably all the time.

I sort by genre and then within the genre alphabetize. Yeah, same here. It's the move. In 1972, inspired by the movie It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, founder Harry Snyder initiated a tradition of planting crossed palm trees in front of most in and out locations, symbolizing each store as a treasure. Crossed like Christian cross? I don't know if it's Christian cross or just crisscrossing because they're still growing.

Oh, and they still have the taller palm trees that kind of crisscross at some suburban locations. That's super fascinating. Yeah. I thought you were going to say they did a product integration with the Godfather in 72. Wouldn't that be fun? That would have been unbelievable. They just start serving cannolis.

Cannolis and like, you know, I'm gonna make him a burger he can't refuse. It writes itself. In 1974, In-N-Out launched its cookout department with a grill loaded onto a pickup truck, serving venues and events such as schools, churches, charities, weddings, birthdays, and concerts, with more than 10 fully self-supported cookout trucks and 125 associates. I love that, but you said cookout, and my mind goes to the North Carolina fast food franchise, Cookout,

which is just an unbelievable holy place for Yeah. For a Cookout tray with a shake, their burger, fries, dogs, tenders. You could get a Cajun wrap as a side, tenders as a side, hushpuppies as a side, a hot dog. Should I put them in next year's September? 100%. They're based in Atlanta, Nashville, North Carolina, South Carolina. All right. You heard it here. For September 2025, Cookout is the second official entrant. The only reason I have Twitter is to tweet at Cookout to tell them to come to the West Coast. And I don't know if it's a materials thing,

but it is the best deal, the Cookout train. Like the milkshake options are, I think, like over 70 or something, and it's all drive through. And it's just, oh, God, one of the best. I'm getting excited. The In-N-Out is still getting to me now. I want In-N-Out and Cookout together. In the same year, In-N-Out participated

in its first Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, firing up the grills on New Year's Eve, a tradition that continues today, serving tournament bands at Band Fest every December 29th and 30th, and both football teams in the Rose Bowl at the team feed. I believe that was the first time I ever had In-N-Out

because my high school played in the Rose Parade when I was in middle school, but I made the trip anyway. So me as an eighth grader went to watch the band. My mom and I came with my grandmother and I feel like I remember going to the band fest and trying in and out for the first time. I think anytime I think of the Rose Parade, my mind immediately goes to Elliot Smith's song,

Rose Parade from his 1997 album, Either or, very Los Angeles, because that's the shit I was listening to in third grade and hearing LA references. And I was like, I'll be on these streets soon. I'll listening to in third grade and hearing LA references. I was like, I'll be on these streets soon. I'll go to the Rose Bridge. You knew from that, from early age. I knew, I knew their early ages.

In December 1976, founder Harry Snyder passed away in a plane crash along with his VP, a friend and advisor, and the pilot and co-pilot of that plane. Oh dear God. His sons, Rich and Guy Snyder, taking over as president and vice president respectively, continuing Harry's commitment to providing customers with the freshest, highest quality foods and a spotless, sparkling environment, happened almost immediately. Obviously very sad. I did not know that. That's absolutely tragic.

And the fact that the kids kind of kept the legacy going, kind of in his honor as well, is like, wow. That kind of really like amplifies the narrative of why the food has to stay fresh, of that being his vision of the family legacy. That's crazy. Wow. Oh.

The chain has long been associated with drag racing. Harry Snyder invested 50% of the cost to open a track in Irwindale, California, called the Irwindale Raceway, in 1965, so it only makes sense that his legacy lives on through a 2010 sponsorship of racer Melanie Troxell. There's also a track in Pomona that has been renamed the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Drag Strip. Vroom vroom. Vroom vroom. Vroom vroom. What an oddly inhuman response. Do you know what that means, Raj? No. You have triggered the secret menu minigame.

Oh. You know that thing that you totally didn't prepare jokes in advance for? No. Oh, okay. Great. Play along. I love it. We're going to pick a category, vehicular goodies. Okay, I can do this.

And we are going to just slingshot jokes back and forth for a minute, I'll put one minute on the clock. You at home, play along. Comment below your own vehicular goodie. Examples would be Jolly BMW or Hamburghini. You get it. Mixing vehicles and foods and restaurants and stuff like that. 60 seconds on the clock. I'll have you start. Three, two, one, go. Siviru Outback Steakhouse. Ooh, it's right there.

Toyota Supra. Ford Fiesta Nachos. Nissan Flapjaxima. Ha ha. Shout out to a great restaurant. Chevy Silverado Grand Buffet. Honda Accord on the Cob. Ha ha ha. Nissan Ultimacarons.

Toyota Spamry. Ha ha ha. Subaru Chicken Forester Suit. Banana Split Tsubishi. Kia Spamry. Subaru Chicken Forester Soup. Banana Split Tsubishi. Kia Sporage. Kia Soul Food. Subaru Chris Steakhouse. That was a walk.

I've got Aston Martini. That one's great. That's rolling right off the tongue. Right? I'm going to do a cop out, and it's the most cop out, but I need to do it because a few still exist. Chevy's. Oh. All right.

Benny Honda. Oh my gosh. Oh, that's really, really good. And that'll do it for the secret menu. Submit your own. And the winner of last week's Secret Menu Mini Game is... YouTube user ScottBennett6671, our first two-time winner for the Secret Menu Mini Game

for his submission in the sci-fi foods category, iPad tie. You know, like iPad and pad tie. It's good. Anyways, you win a like iPad and pad tie. It's good. Anyways, you win a free t-shirt. Scott, go ahead. DM me at fine dining podcast or email me fine dining podcast at gmail.com. Everyone else.

Thanks for playing and better luck this time. In and out discreetly includes Bible verses on the bottom of their cups and wrappers of practice initiated by Rich Snyder, son of founder Harry Snyder, in the late 80s. So it actually wasn't there for the first 30 plus years of the company's existence. Oh, so Papa Snyder was already gone. Was already gone and not about the Jesus quotes. No. Underneath. No. Super fascinating. Yep. And by the way, they don't, underneath. No. Super fascinating.

Yep. And by the way, they don't, well, actually we'll talk about it more later, but they don't really put verses. Yeah, it's not verses. It's just like you have homework. Yeah, as we talked about, it's homework. John 316 and I'm like, Austin 316 of WWF. John 316 says, I just kicked your burger.

Yeah, there we go. Right? Yeah. In 2014, a replica of the original hamburger stand was opened in Baldwin Park, California, showcasing the company's heritage and history. I love, I mean, I pass it all. I've taken pictures with it. Huge, huge fan.

I think it's a tourist mark when you're driving on the 10. It's great. It's really cool. On December 12th, 2023, in conjunction with its 75th anniversary, In-N-Out Burger celebrated opening its 400th location in Meridian, Idaho, marking its expansion into its eighth state, with operations now spanning California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Colorado, and Idaho. Good for Idaho.

Shout out Idaho. Never been. I went to, I did a road trip in 2021 where I went the entire perimeter of the country. I went here to Florida, to New York, to Seattle and down. Oh, wow. And I stopped in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, giant lake city. Oh, okay. It's like a paradise you didn't know existed.

It's gorgeous. Oh, wow. I didn't even know there's like, I know there's a lake in the middle. Like literally a city over a gigantic lake. Oh, wow. All about that. It's all lakeside property and stuff. What's it called?

Coeur d'Alene. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Like C-O-E-R. Oh, Coeur All about that. It's all lakeside property and stuff. What's it called? Coeur de Laine. Coeur de Laine, Idaho. Like C-O-E-R. Oh, Coeur de Laine. Coeur de Laine, yeah. Oh, dang. Now I gotta get there. In-N-Out Burger's special sauce recipe has remained unchanged since the restaurant opened in 1948

with many attempting to replicate it. Like special sauce as in me trying... Like their spread. Like Thousand Island dressing and a bunch of other accoutrements that I could put together to make fun. Secret sauce. World renowned chef Gordon Ramsay has been known to enjoy a double double from an In

and Out burger highlighting the appeal of its burgers specifically. It would be so freaking hilarious if he did a Kitchen Nightmares Gordon Ramsay Hell's Kitchen and like actually went into it in and out even as a parody bit to do that. But then also I just think, do they even need more PR? Because they don't. This is our last organic PR place that we have of word of mouth. They don't need ads anywhere.

And expressly that is their approach, is word of mouth. They don't feel like they need to do these big elaborate tie-ins and stuff. Radio, social media, and some linear ads for West Coast blocks. That's all they do. In-N-Out Burger's secret menu includes items like the 4x4, allowing customers to customize their orders beyond the standard menu offerings. Additionally, In-N-Out Burger has a secret, secret menu featuring items like side of prepackaged yellow chilies, root beer float, bun donuts,

and the option to add pepperoncinis to your burger. And I actually printed out the secret menu of In-N-Out. Do they have monkey style on there? I don't see monkey style. Monkey style is when you could get fries in a double double with peppers in it, at least in 2014 when I tried it out, yeah. Yeah, on here it's got,

this is called the not so secret menu. Items that can be ordered but are not on the menu. The four by four, three by three, the Flying Dutchman, which is a double double meat and s*** only, no bun. Oh. It's basically like, you remember when KFC did the like, the meat is the bun, That's the Flying Dutchman

Okay, animal style which is mustard fried extra spread grilled onions protein style your burger wrapped in lettuce Yeah, a grilled which is just no meat You can get a shake as a large you can get a Neapolitan shake You can get a black and white shake was just mixing flavors and stuff root beer float I love that. They'll do a root beer. I didn't even know they do that. I want like a Shit, I'm sure you hope that's what cherry coke flow. Yeah Cheer wine float is what I get a cookout every time along with a milkshake. I need to stop eating Arnold Palmer a lemon up

Seven up and lemonade. Oh Whoa there and a bunch of topping options chopped chilies pickles mustard fried cold where it's just uncooked It's kind of taking the world by storm right now It's like going viral that everyone's getting like cold cold. Yeah, like it's like doing a backyard burger Ketchup and mustard cut in half tomato wrap and when I say cut in half It's like literally they have a presentation style like they have a protocol for it Yeah, like obviously places can do this for you But in and out literally has like,

this is our procedure of how we present a cut in half burger. Onions, raw chopped onions, grilled onions, whole grilled onion, extra toast, light toast, no toast. You can get your French fries, animal style, cheese fries, well done, medium well, light well and light. And you can get a paper hat like I'm wearing and stickers. So you can get stickers? You can get stickers.

Yo, I need to get some stickers. Yeah. God, gotta decorate my laptop now. The average tenure for an in and out manager is 14 years, while part-time associates typically stay for two years, which is significantly longer than the industry average. I think that's, we were just talking about it. It's, they treat their employees so well,

pay them so well. The employees, as we just saw, like take care of each other when needed, you know? I'll get to that in a little bit. It's fantastic. You know, 14 years is that's big. For a manager, two years for just a standard employee, which yeah for fast food turnover rates are pretty high. So two years is pretty good. In-N-Out Burger produces its own patties in facilities located in Baldwin Park, California and Dallas, Texas, ensuring that none of its products travel more than 500 miles to reach a store. I love that.

How you keep it fresh, you know, that's kind of the way it's done. They make everything fresh. I remember my mind being blown seeing the potatoes and tomatoes being sliced immediately in front of me. And the fact that it's so visible that I can see what is being made of what is going in my stomach. It's the best feeling since I was a kid and it only gets better with, you know,

focused more and more on health. More appreciation. Yeah, of course. As part of the 75th anniversary celebrations, Lindsay Snyder, current president and granddaughter of the founders, released a book detailing the story behind In-N-Out and her family.

So there's some very interesting tidbits in there. Rich and Guy Snyder, sons of in and out founder Harry, established the Child Abuse Fund just days after their father's death, recognizing the need to address the issue of child abuse, which they themselves experienced. Despite their love for their father, the brothers acknowledged and openly discussed

their experiences of childhood abuse after Harry's passing, aiming to break the cycle of abuse. Man. Man, I don't even have a comment on that. I think it's now called the In-N-Out Foundation. Yeah, interesting. Yeah. But like, I think it's an interesting choice to do it like immediately after he passed.

Yeah. I think it's a big statement to do that. Huge. Statement especially at the time. Guy Snyder, after contributing to In-N-Out's success, tragically succumbed to substance abuse, experiencing three separate overdoses in 1999 before his accidental overdose death in 2000.

Oh my gosh. Yeah. Wow, I didn't know there was this much tragedy behind the family. That's really crazy. And Rich Snyder, while maintaining a public image of devotion to In-N-Out, struggled with cocaine addiction during his tenure as CEO. So both brothers had drug problems.

He took one of their lives. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Wow. It's awful. Now, back to the importance of how these people have treated their employees. Yeah. In-N-Out is known for its employee benefits, with store managers averaging over $180,000 per year. Yep, that's why you don't leave.

Including profit sharing opportunities. Yep. That is wild for a fast food restaurant manager. And it makes sense, kinda. I don't even have questions or follow-ups on details because, like, it is constantly packed. I was gonna say... Any in and out is never empty.

We'll talk about it in service, but like... Yeah. It requires a well-oiled machine. Yeah, you're executive producing that essentially, like every single day, you're executive producing. That's wild. In-N-Out switched to serving Coke products. I mentioned earlier that they had a Pepsi, right? Yeah, I got that.

Ending a long-standing partnership with Pepsi. Previously, In-N-Out had a special agreement with PepsiCo to avoid competition, but PepsiCo's acquisition of a rival burger brand called Hot N' Now, which they expanded into In-N-Out territory, led to In-N-Out to switch soft drink brands. Oh, Burger Wars right there.

Let's go. They do, however, still carry 7-Up, as In-N-Out had a warehouse fire in 1978, and 7-Up let In-N-Out use part of their warehouse so they could still remain in operation. Because of that, In-N-Out has remained loyal to 7-Up. So they're all about the 7-Up. And 7-Up is a Pepsi. It's a Pepsi product.

Yeah, I... There's no Sprite. Yeah. Yeah. That's very interesting. Wow. So... Anyways, that's the history of In-N-Out. That's very interesting. Wow. So anyways, that's the history of In-N-Out. That'll do it for this week's Eat Deets.

Every week on Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso, I invite an artist, writer or politician to come to the table and speak from the heart in ways you probably haven't heard from them before. In recent weeks, I sat with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Democratic strategist James Carville, director Richard Linklater, and musician and actor Maya Hawk. To hear those and more episodes of the show, listen on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Be sure to open up your free iHeart app and search Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso. What it be, trivia lovers? It's your pal Ryan Budz, host of Trivia with Buds, a Monday through Friday pop culture podcast with episodes under 10 minutes to give your nostalgic brain a workout.

With over 2,000 episodes, you're all set for fun and games on your next long flight, road trip, or weekend hangout with friends and family. Check out recent episodes on famous mullets, Dungeons and dragons, classic cocktails, and tons more. And for info on virtual, in-person, and hybrid trivia, bingo, and game show events, go to my website TriviaWithBuds.com. Cheers! Atmosphere I want to start in the parking lot because, well, I have a few notes about the parking lot, but I got there a little bit earlier than you.

I was sitting in my car waiting out front and I noticed someone came up. They walked right by the front of my car, went inside. They came out a few minutes later with a manager hoisting up an employee who seemed injured. I don't know if somebody slipped or like hurt their back or whatever. It genuinely seemed

like accidents in the workplace. They do happen and I'm not going to always just be like it's workplace negligence. Yeah. I don't know what happened there. I didn't follow up. It doesn't really matter to me. The fact that a manager took time out of, you know, a lunch rush to help carry this employee with this other person that came to pick them up out to their car is a very striking image. Like I was sitting there and I was like, I know I do a comedy show, in my mind at least,

I think I'm funny in this show, is comedy forward. You're very funny, thank you. But seeing that, I mean, like, don't want to joke about it or anything. It was genuinely just something where I was like. I don't know if I believe that. I would even say most managers of places would do that. It would be like, oh, get home safe. And it's kind of hollow.

And seeing a manager like literally helping carry out an employee, again, I don't know any of the details. I didn't want to go in and pry. You know, I'm not like a journalist or whatever. I'm not looking to get the scoop. But it really impacted me and like set the tone for this meal of like, I really like the service team here, but I do consider this like an atmospheric thing

because it was an observation in the parking lot. No, of course, I think it just shows that they are a team and they take care of each other. And all the employees are just so kind. I'm greeted every in and out I get into. All employees are kind. They're very just fast, ready to go. I think that's the thing, there's not a dull moment

in what they're doing their jobs. They're all very good at what they do with their jobs.. I think that's the thing, there's not a dull moment in what they're doing their jobs. They're all very good at what they do with their jobs. When I get greeted at the register, it's a great feeling, they're so fast, they say hello, they ask how the day is going, and they're always smiling and super nice, and they know the line is so long. And my gosh, I just wanna make a documentary

about a drive-through, the drive-through in and out crew that takes, where I've never in my life seen people that take orders in lines and walk around doing that. But that's what I'm saying. The product is that superior. So we'll go into that deeper when we're in the service section. But atmosphere itself, big palm trees. I mentioned earlier they have crisscrossing palm trees crosses.

I even took a picture of the specific ones that we're crossing. And then you go inside and you and I were talking about it. Every In-N-Out feels so clean. It's so, even the Hollywood one, which nothing should be clean in Hollywood, but the one on Sunset Boulevard. Well, at least the expectation shouldn't be clean. The expectation shouldn't be clean,

but it is, that is like one of the stack, probably top five most popular In-N-Outs in America. And it is so clean. Every time I'm in there, everything looks new. You were just saying some of these shelves or walls look like they're two weeks old because of how well they clean them. They are. Yeah. There's a.

A bulletin board with like merch behind a glass case with like T-shirts, which is like you can get the T-shirt behind the counter. Socks you can order online. I was like, oh, you won't carry the socks in person. Yeah, they won't have the socks there. And then the black T-shirts, which is like you can get the t-shirt behind the counter, socks, you can order online. I was like, Oh, you won't carry the socks in person. They won't have the socks there. And then the black t-shirts is also online. I own a black t-shirt. Yeah. And then just a constant hustle and bustle of customers. Like the name in and out is apt. Yeah. There are people coming and going,

coming and going, coming and going nonstop. It's truly impressive how fast they process them. But it does mean you're never getting a quiet meal at any time. Now, if you're a type of person who's bothered by, I won't say loud, I wouldn't say it's obnoxious, but a constant hum of conversation and of, you know, the order being called over the microphone. Like, you know, you're always hearing're always hearing, 67, your order's up. 67, 68. Always 69.

69. Just counting. I'm just counting. I'm just going to finish it up. 70. Do the next one. 70. And then count backwards. 69 again. And it's just... It has all the potential to be chaos. And even though we weren't today, if you are in an in and out at its busiest,

it is overwhelming. Yeah. It is an overwhelming time. So if you don't like crowds, stick to the drive-through. It can always get really crazy. I mean, the LAX in and out one, I remember I went two minutes after it opened, right leaving the airport, picking up my wonderful sister-in-law. And she's like, I'm craving In-N-Out.

We went and I was like the third car in and I felt so good. We were literally In-N-Out in like three to four minutes. Yeah. And it was the best. I was like, oh my God, I feel like I conquered. Best day ever. Check something off in Los Angeles. I like did that. It's like the rapture happened. Yeah. And it was the best. I was like, Oh my God, I feel like I conquered best day ever off in Los Angeles. Yeah. Like did that. It's a set like the rapture happened. Yeah. Right. Half of all people are gone. You're like, Oh, the lines for it. And that

aren't too bad. Right. The decor here, it's a lot of like clean white tile with red accents of palm trees and stuff like that, which it's sleek. Yeah. They made a choice. Palm trees are the in and out thing. Neon yellow, red, white. Red, white. Those are the colors. And theming matters so much.

Oh, it's everything. It's what makes. The fact that each in and out looks the same makes me feel comfortable versus like, I don't know what the hell's been going on with the McDonald's gentrification of like making everything gray and yellow and losing the architecture.

Just the industrial, like, I don't know why it feels like I'm in like a feeling depressed. Like, do you want me to feel depressed going to McDonald's? I already know I'm making a poor choice by doing this. Yes, yes they do. But like, it's delicious, that's why I'm there. And with In-N-Out, it has this like 1950s, like minimalist retro feeling to it.

Yeah. But it's kept that going. And it doesn't need to change it, why would it? They get to keep it clean. They don't need to add extra accoutrement, they don't have to do another Happy Meal or anything. Yeah. You are there because the product is so damn good

and it resonates with people ages three to 103. And then, I'll mention one customer. I just saw a guy who looked kind of like a tough guy who had the arm band sleeves that make it look like you have tattoos, which just for his vibe, I found very funny. But he was there for the food. Like I said, everyone of different wakes of life

could have been doing anything else on a Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles Yeah, chose to go to in and out everyone's got to eat and everyone's there together Yeah, my notice was like I saw there's the art that was behind you which I loved hated that it was a weird gripe Yeah, it was 113 out of 200. So I'm like, oh I felt special seeing this piece of LA art So you're telling me there are 199 other pieces, other places. I don't, I don't know where you can't just put LA art at an in and out in Dallas or Idaho. Well, and that's the thing, there's 400 restaurants. So maybe they made 200 of them, shipped them out to half the restaurants,

but maybe employees took them home. Yeah. But also it just doesn't make it feel as special when it's out of two hunts. Give me a one of five. Give me a one of five, because then I would have done, and it would have been my excuse to eat more in and out, a scavenger hunt to see where the other five are. Well, there's already six or seven paintings in this one.

Yeah, yeah. So I guess you could scavenger hunt for which one, are there any one of 200s? Yeah, that are like it's the first one of it. The first one yeah. That'd be neat but regardless creating this weird scarcity culture around the in-and-out art is it's I'm gonna give it an award I'm gonna say it is way too much yeah Raj do it it's it's stupid like no one's way too much I mean don't get me This is... Way Too Much!

Yeah. Raj, do it. It's stupid. Like, no one's... Way too much. I mean, don't get me wrong, I would frame one for those in my apartment in a second. I'd probably have that... You're the problem! You're why they're doing it. I would probably have it at my wedding. Like, I wanted an in-and-out truck so bad at my wedding. Yeah.

But since it was like a Hindu wedding, I was like, okay, I can't have beef products here. But like, you know, I always think of this is the end. In-N-Out trucks out in four minutes, you know? And I'm like, oh, that would have been a great idea. And then I would want that poster. I already collect enough movie and music posters, but damn, now I want, man, I'm thinking about that.

Now my mission after this pod is gonna be getting one of those and finding it out. That's gonna be a deep dive. You should do some, like, you should go get a maintenance outfit of someone who would work at In-N should do some, like you should go get a maintenance outfit of someone who would work at In-N-Out and be like, oh, I'm here to check the electric. Don't mind me, I'll be over there.

And you just remove a painting, put it in your truck and drive away. And just drive away? It's like an Ocean's Eleven inside job. Oh, it's so doable. It would be crazy, but it would be a modern type of art thief that I would respect to the max, and I would in fact call it way too much.

Oh, that works. I mean, one of my best friends did something similar. He dressed as a sanitation worker at the Waste Management Inn, the golf tournament, also known as the Wasted Management Inn. And he just went down to the floor to the main hall and there was a 30 rack of Bud Light and he just brought it back for our entire suite. Just picked it up. He's like, I'm taking this for Chuck and the guys. Oh yeah, you're fine. Look, there's just some things that a jumpsuit can get done.

It can really make shit happen. No one's going to question you. It's just like a guy wearing a regular suit. You're going to talk to the guy in the regular suit. He looks like he knows what he's fucking doing. Now before we move on, back out to the parking lot. Another thing I noticed more on the way out, but I do notice on the way in and just every time I'm here,

the people in those cars in that drive-through line are savages. Oh, they're nuts. There is no grace to like, oh, this person's exiting. Nope. It's, ugh, I have to be as close to the person in front. It's like anxiety inducing. And it's a little suspicious to me, Raj.

Yeah. It makes me wonder a question. What's going on over there? What's going on over there? What's going on over there? Should I worry? Should I care? What is going on over there? Hey Raj, what's going on over there?

People are in the line and I've said it before and I'll say it again and people always laugh at me. Forever, In-N-Out will be LA's hottest nightclub. That is it. That is the exclusivity that you have to be in there. You're gonna get bottle service or table service and stuff like that in that line because what if you're ordering $60 worth of food versus, I don't know, $8 worth of food for you and your partner on a first date, but you are getting into LA's, Idaho, Dallas's hottest nightclub when you're in that line. You have this feeling of exclusivity that I got rewarded with in and out.

Yeah. And if we know anything about nightclubs, it's no cutting. No cutting. Literally no cutting in line and then the bouncer is literally the drive-through window Yeah, usually so angelic and sweet and kind and and they order and you slip them a 20 and they yeah you win They get you in but then you have the people doing orders once again I've never seen it on the little iPads kind of yeah making orders in between That's kind of like if you want to buy bottle surface early making orders in between. That's kind of like if you want to buy bottle service early,

not to cut the line, but they'll make your stuff faster and it will streamline it faster if we order it. And they pay hot influencer chicks, of course, to really promote it and out. Oh, and come through. A lot of in and out under boob, crop tops. Crop tops and the dog influencers also with the in and out hats

and just hanging out with the burgers. The cuter your dog is, the more maybe you could Potentially cut two cars off. You don't know. I think you've nailed. I think we figured out exactly What's going on over there? All right, so if I'm Putting my thumbs in any direction for the atmosphere of in-and-out. I think we might disagree on this Look, I'm putting it against every restaurant I've ever been to, and I've been to some really nice places.

This feels comfortable. It feels clean. But it's not like... It's not my ideal place. I'm going to say, look, it's not bad. By any... It is clean. It is solid. But to me, it is the epitome of thumbs in the middle. It is not positive or negative to me.

It is just, it's there, it's well done, but it's there. I would go same neutral in the middle, but a marginal thumbs up because of how clean it is and how it stays consistently clean. Like, I don't wanna eat in a Burger King. I don't wanna eat in the Wendy's on Sunset in Hollywood. But you don't mind eating inside of an In-N-Out. I love eating inside of an In-N-Out,

outside of an In-N-Out. I think it is part of the experience. In-N-Out in your car with the car trays, also part of the experience, because I'm doing it in the In-N-Out parking lot. But it's just like a feeling of you go to In-N-Out. I feel like it's one of the last fast food place like destinations people are still excited to go to.

Because people aren't going every day, but you're passing it on the highway or I don't know, you get good grades on a report card or something. You go to In-N-Out. Or get In-N-Out. Get In-N-Out, yeah. All right, that's the atmosphere. Let's move on to the service.

Service. So talking about the service staff, I know we've mentioned a little bit already, they do take care of each other. The benefits are great. We saw the manager helping carry out a presumably injured or sick employee. But once we're inside, the people behind the counter, again, like it's maybe it's like the Christian branding of in and out.

Maybe, yeah. But they are really like kindness forward. It is an image. I don't know these people personally. I don't even care if it's genuine, but it feels warm when I'm receiving it. And I like that. I think it's like you could probably check their company code and ethics online because it's available.

But I think it's just yeah, you have to like it's similar to when I say when I produce a project with someone, this person's really great at what they do. If they're an asshole and they're mean and they're rude, but they're so amazing at what they do, I don't want to work with them if they're going to be hard to deal with and not get along with people because in and out. And I mean, just all food service industry takes a village, but especially keeping this brand maintained. Employees are happy being compensated well, have great benefits package, their kindness goes

forward and I think your kindness has to do with working there. They really interview you, they're not just looking for help on it kind of, you know. And that's how you're able to find the types of character that will stick around for two years on average versus three, four, five, six month turnover. And I think also potentially in their training, I mean, you know, I worked service industry for about five, six years in high school to college at the, this major AMC 24 plex movie theater. It was huge. And the motto of that was friendly, helpful, clean and fast.

That's what you had to follow. And I'm like, I'm sure that is in the guidebook of all training manuals, but friendly is the number one way to endear yourself to me. Friendly's number one. You can be incompetent in other ways and I'll be like, damn, that was fun. Like I liked that individual. And that's like, to me, I liked our cashier.

I didn't have a lot of time with him. He was very clean cut, kind of got a Boy Scout vibe. Yeah, oh yeah. A little bit. And then there was a guy kind of circling the restaurant with. Oh yeah. One of the hats. With the paper hats.

Not wearing mine. Not wearing yours but you know I had to grab me an in and out paper hat. We were so excited to get the hats. Yeah I think the kindness always goes a long way and I kind of believe it. Oh no. Did you rip it? I've ripped the hat. Oh no.

My life is over. Oh no. Hold on. Oh can you can you hook it back?'ve I've ripped the hat. Oh, no. My life is over. Oh, no Hold on. Oh, can you can you hook it back? Oh, it's a hook hat This is so suspenseful. I feel like I'm in an outline right now to make sure you succeed with this task. I'll put Dramatic music. Yeah, you got to put dramatic music. He's trying to like put it back together right now He's struggling a little bit. I feel like I'm doing like a dodgeball commentating right now. I feel like Pepper Brooks. Yes the hat will not be able to see very well, Cotton. Okay I think he's got it down. Success? Did we reconstruct it? Did we rebuild? Are we rebuilding? Is it like every piece of literature I've read? We will rebuild. We will rebuild. Thanos will return? I don't know where the the

other crease is. I'm trying to just fold it in. Yeah along It's just a half crease. There we go. That's the best souvenir product that I have right there We'll have it right there. It's it's it's still hanging out. Yeah Dramatic. Yeah, right. Yeah, so there's a guy walking around and you know, it's clearly for kids But like, you know us two adult men in our 30s are like, excuse me, sir Would you mind? And he's like, absolutely, here you go. And it gives us a hat and just everyone's friendly.

Yeah, and they smile and they're good to go. And I think everyone's also helping out. Obviously everyone has their specific jobs, but I can tell all of them are keeping everything clean. Even the kitchen when they want you to visibly look back, but it's like so clean. But the most noteworthy thing to me about the In-N-Out Service Team is the pace that they keep.

Oh yeah. It's unreal. It's like a sport. It's a sport almost. The inside line and the drive-through line. And we went at a time where it wasn't too busy and it was still pretty hopping. But you know, if you go here any time

after like 6 p.m. until closed, which they're open usually till midnight or one. Yep, yep. The line is to the street. It's even, I remember when I was at Coachella Festival and going to In-N-Out right when they opened at 1130 and I went at like 1145, already a line of like 20 cars.

And I was like, this was further from the festival too, so I was like, oh wow, I messed up, I should have came right at 11.30. Yeah, so just the fact that they're able to process it, I don't wanna dwell too long on service, I'm gonna go one thumb up. Yeah, I'll go one thumb up. I think, you know, this isn't Michelin star,

like a team of people, you know, you drop your napkin and they come and they put it back on your lap, they don't brush breadcrumbs off your table, but they're actively looking for opportunities to bust trays of things that are done. And everyone just has the right attitude. So want them up. And they want you out of there in and out

because there's other people waiting to sit at tables right now with families and people coming in. That's why you're right. It is like the most spot on name. Time to move on to the main event, the food. Food. Yum. Yummy. So we only got five things between us.

Yeah. And you didn't have any of my shakes. So you only had four things. But it is September time. Yes. We got three burgers. We got just the hamburger, just the standard hamburger, the way they serve it, tomato being

a big part of it, lettuce, patty, secret sauce, and all American and their bun. And we got fries. Well done. We'll talk, we'll talk, we'll get into fries in a minute. And then for our round two burger, if In-N-Out advances, we have the double meat mustard fried toasty bun customization. And then lastly, you gotta go animal style.

Yep. You gotta do animal style with grilled onions on it. So we had a few different variations, but for the sake of suspense, let's talk about the fries first. Yeah. The fries at In-N-Out are a polarizing thing. Oh yeah.

And I am willing to call them trash if you don't get them right. That's why I say they're the healthiest fast food fries in the world and it's an anomaly because why would you want your fast food fries to be healthy? Yeah. But there's a little hack that so many people and I feel like it's only foodies and just so Cal and just natives of where in and out is where You tell them the hack get them. Well done always they just they put them in for a little bit longer You get the crisp that the normal fries are missing. They're like borderline soggy

You know when you have a bag of Wendy's fries that yeah, they're a little too long and they lose their form Yeah in and out does that at double the pace of a Wendy's fry. I would even say triple the pace. It is a bad fry, but when you do well done and it's just about the flavor and you get that crisp, that little bit more texture, it is a marked improvement. It's like a crunch too, which is what I love about it, that adds a unique element to it.

And I've gotten those fries animal style or as s*** fries and they're just delicious when they're well done, just as delicious. And they dip really well. Like the crunch of that. No fry pairs better with ketchup. No fry complements the flavor of ketchup better than In-N-Out's fries specifically, I would say.

Well done fries, yes. And then I also dunked them in my shake, of the well done fries, and I also dunked it in my shake. The fries, well done. I mean, go seven and a half out of ten. Look, these aren't the best fries I've ever had, but for something that can truly be trashed here to gain that much just by leaving them in a little bit longer?

Yeah, I would say the original fries, it's kind of the, you're looking at numbers, I would say the regular fries are like a three out of ten three out of ten is exactly where I'm gonna say Not like that materials or ingredients. So I would honestly align completely. I think 7.5 is a great reading It's like the difference between the difference between delivering a baby prematurely and really cooking it to ten months You know I think those ten month babies come out great. It's like DVD versus Blu- or VHS is the regular fries and Blu-Ray HD is the well done fries.

I'd say 4K. 4K, they're 4K fries. We'll give it the 4K. They're not 3D. They're not 3D, yeah. But 4K is good. And then I got the black and white shake, which is a secret menu offering... I mean, technically getting well done on your fries is a secret. Like if you know, you know sort of thing. The black and white shake is literally just a swirling of their black or their chocolate and then their vanilla. Vanilla, yeah.

And... It's good. It's really good. It's and it's... I didn't have one, but it's delicious. My only note is just... come on. Like that's literally all I wrote. Just CMON. Come on. Like, that's literally all I wrote. Just C-M-O-N. Come on.

No notes. No notes. Look, it's a shake from a 50s burger, 50s style burger joint. Exactly. That's where you go for shakes. I go to In-N-Out just for shakes sometimes too. I don't even need the burger. I just do the shakes.

In-N-Out's shakes are worth it. In-N-Out's shakes are fantastic. They're amazing. Nine out of ten on this black and white shake. Oh, I'd even go 9.24. Yeah, yeah. 9.24. 9.24.

Really, really honing. Yeah. Really honing. Just deliciousness. Like, it's one of those, I compare the shake similar to like Radiohead's OK Computer or Today's Thing, Beyonce's Lemonade. Really? Really? You got notes on this? Really? Right. Really? Album that redefined rock and roll and just,

what's it called, music? And the artist that redefined ten genres and music? Right. Really? Yeah. You don't really need we can talk critically, but it knows what it is. They know what they're doing. No notes. No notes. No notes. No notes. So now, September-ger.

Let's go. Whataburger versus In-N-Out. This is like... Just the classic Whataburger versus the In-N-Out hamburger. As is. No customizations. Yep.

Not even a double. How are we feeling about the single hamburger at In-N-Out? Talk to me. A classic. A true classic. I haven't had it in a while because I always go double, double animal style. Right.

Nothing beats the original. It knows and delivers what it wants for people that want standard taste. The tomato is the main takeaway in the burger. The tomato is the thing that they focus on so much. Apparently, it is policy to where if the entire bun is not covered by tomato, they put another slice of tomato to make sure that that proportion is met. And they're not doing the two tomatoes on one or stuff for stacking like tiny tomatoes in it and things and I think that's what makes it so great. Yeah, I mean I would say it is very good, not great. So, but it's still

delicious. The thing and this is gonna apply to all three burgers, fresh as hell. Yeah, so fresh. In-N-Out might be the freshest burger you can get in fast food. Like yeah, anywhere. To get a burger that fast, that fresh is like, yeah, diabolical. Like it doesn't exist. So I went 6.84. I would say this is in the middle of what I would call good as far as a burger goes, but this is just a standard, no frills, no special things burger.

Interesting. Mine was 7.79. Okay. Specifically because I was at in and out, I know the materials and like you said the freshness and the ingredients that went in, that already is getting six points for me. That itself is like the six is a bottom besides the fries, but like the burger just for the fresh ingredients you get six no matter what. And what was fascinating of having this for the first time,

I think the regular burger since 2010 or 2009 maybe. Like I said, I always kind of have my go-tos and I'll try new things, but I like them big. This is just a great golden standard of the original. And that's what I think is the fact that this is the base that you can kind of grow on. Think of it like the first John wick movie so cool, right? And then the rest just expands with the universe and gets so much cooler so much bigger

But in like a refined way, but still you gotta get back to basics Yeah, or you gotta do the fundamentals. Well do the fundamentals Well have those mastered then you have room to cook literally to grow and try new things out and take us down different avenues. And for that to be like the baseline version, this is our, you know, what McDonald's, what the cheeseburger, just like the Michael Keaton movie. And yeah, I think you did a great job.

And then it got the expansion just for the meat is so fresh. I forgot how much of a vehicle the thick cut tomato is in the burger, especially if you have... It is a very tomato-forward burger. Your mileage will vary depending on how much of a vehicle the thick cut tomato is in the burger. It is a very tomato forward burger. It is very tomato. Your mileage will vary depending on how much you like tomato. Exactly. Of course you can always customize and get no tomato or whatever and take it off.

You're still going to get very fresh ingredients all around. But as far as the way they serve it, I'm not the hugest fan of raw tomato, which is why I'm just in the sixes. But even despite that, the freshness of those vegetables, the fact that the tomato wasn't slimy, it did have a little bit of a crunch to it. That's what matters. You don't get that anywhere else. It's tough to do in fast food. It's tough to do at a chain. And In-N-Out pulls it off.

So when we put our scores together in the first round, the In-N-Out hamburger, 7.32. Let's go. Sevens up against Whataburger and the Whataburger from last week's episode had a 5.72. Oh, In-N-Out advances to the semi-finals of September. Let's go. Stay tuned at the end of the month for free on patreon to hear in and out

Versus the winner of the next two restaurants White Castle versus Shake Shack one of those two will advance and face in and out in the semifinals one of them already advanced In my head, so yeah That's that's that's easy. That's like a Drake and Kendrick kind of situation going on. Yeah. Yeah I love White Castle Harold and Kumar is one of my favorite movies ever. Yeah. Yeah. But we know. We know. So, yeah, overall on the food, three burgers, a shake, fries.

I'm going to go two thumbs up for In-N-Out. I think In-N-Out deserves to score two thumbs up. I'm in the Siskel and Ebert ranking of two very enthusiastic thumbs up. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah ranking of two very enthusiastic thumbs up. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah two proctologist Yeah, they did two thumbs way up or two big thumbs up and then two enthusiastic thumbs up I didn't know the difference between the three of them, but at some point you're just kind of cheating to yeah Redefine your system. You're like, oh we didn't Two thumbs seems limiting we have to find ways to.

The funniest is the Fast and Furious 1 DVD that was released January of 2002. Roger Ebert loved it. And on the review above like the description of the movie on the back of it just says thumbs up. And I don't know why I think it's so funny because I've never just seen thumbs up. Thumbs up, that's it.

That's it. The other guy didn't like it. Okay, well, that is our chat about the food, the service, the atmosphere. We got to put it all into a rating. But before we can talk about what we took away from In-N-Out, let's go to Yelp and see what other people are saying in this week little Yelp from Strangers A one star, two star, three star, four or five-eye So get a little Yelp, a little Yelp, a little Yelp from Strangers

A little Yelp, a little Yelp Give us those complaints while you literally white and die Yelp! Alright, this is Yelp from Strangers, our segment where we turn to Yelp and read out our favorite 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 star Yelp reviews of the very restaurant at which we dined. Raj, you will find there's a couple reviews beneath that blanket right over there. Oh yes, okay wonderful. So I'm going to start us off if you don't mind. Oh please do.

4 star review. This is a 4 star review from Justin E from Meridian, Idaho, where they opened the four hundredth in and out, but it is of the Burbank location. All these reviews are of the one we went to. Interesting. Yeah. Excited to hear this. This is a four star review from June 1st, 2017. We're in a very frighteningly political time right now for burger joints.

Five Guys and Shake Shack have made some bold moves and it would seem the nation is divided as a whole on who makes the better burger. My vote is Five Guys, but I really like In-N-Out. I don't like the way I have to spell it. Adding a dash to anything is exhausting, but I love the tasty burgers They're just good animal style is the way to go if you don't like animal style I feel like you're going to the zoo without seeing the monkeys, you know monkeys, you know what I mean This is a thing that a guy thought out and wrote. I love this is hey

cooking Anyway, there's a decent parking lot here, and it's nearby a few movie theaters. This particular location is usually very crowded with cars, but it wasn't too crowded with guests. However, it was still crowded enough to feel a tiny bit like dining in hell. Before you freak out, let me explain. In and out could easily turn into a themed attraction where you get to pretend like you're having a meal in the depths of hell.

Think about it. There's misery and angst all around you. Numbers are being called out again and again and again and again, seemingly endlessly. Crying kids, grumpy fathers, these are the building blocks of absolute misery. Make it always way too hot inside. Add some random mountains of fire and garbage. Put a surround sound system in with the occasional satanic whisper.

And boom, better than Disneyland. You're welcome for the idea, In-N-Out. Now just change your name to Never Get Out. And we're in business. Just don't stop making those fresh juicy burgers, okay? Alright. Love you. Talk to you soon. Kisses. That was a four-star review.

Very enthusiastic. Very detail-oriented. I loved all of the nouns. How is there a four- star review that's like, it's like eating in hell? What? He was saying, it's probably based on like, Meridian, Idaho maybe is too overcrowded, you know? We don't know.

You're in your Idaho bubble. Five star review. Well, I have a five star review from June 2nd, 2024. I went with my friend Jesse and the vibes were lit ASF, which means lit as fuck. And we listened to Geese while eating the burgers. Yes. And one person found it helpful.

I want to know, what does it mean you listened to Geese? Did you pull up the sounds of Geese on your phone? Yeah. And play it like... Is there a band called Geese? Did you pull up the sounds of Geese on your phone? Yeah. And play it like... Is there a band called Geese? I don't know. I have so many follow-up questions. We listened to Geese while eating.

Yes. And I think that statement, when I was doing this pod, I didn't really know about this review, and she said the vibes were lit ASF. Yeah. Goes to my thing that it's LA's hottest nightclub. Absolutely. You can go download our full Yelp from Strangers segment at our Patreon. The link for that is in the description of this episode, or you can go to

patreon.com slash fine dining podcast. And we're now offering a one week free trial. So what do you have to lose? Go check it out. People have wild opinions and we get to read oh so many of them. Thanks Raj we have to put all of this together into a score for it to go up on the tchotchke of mediocrity but before we do that we need to calibrate your scale because you haven't been to the 80ish 90ish restaurants that I've been to on my journey so far

No, not at all, yeah So I need to hear you define your zero and your 10 in this week's Calibration Station. All right, Raj, let's hear it. What is your zero out of 10? What's the worst restaurant experience you've ever had in your life? One of the worst restaurant experiences I had in my life was at a place that now it's called like, it was the Howard Hughes Center

in Los Angeles where that nice Cinemark movie theater is. Movie theater, phenomenal. I don't think the pizza place exists there anymore. And I was 18 years old. I'm such a big Italian American. Jersey, New York, we have the best pizza in America for a reason. I love the breaded soup that Chicago makes that they called pizza. But you know, I prefer ours. But I had a slice and I was with three LA natives and they were telling me, no, this pizza is pretty good. I took one bite of it. And then I immediately

spit it out in public We were seeing like the second Transformers movie or something. Was it like a pronounced like It was like a spit take or was it like a it was like a no It's like a hawk through like that girl. It was like Yeah, like I was like, oh my god, what is that? What the hell is this shit? And why did this cost like at the time five five fifty stole a lot first slice But like what the hell was that I yeah, and I put pepper on it. I put red pepper on it I put chili oil and then I basically you said save it

No, I went into the restaurant and I said hi. Do you have Frank's red hot sauce? Do you have ranch? Yeah, can you put those in like a little cup for me and mix them cool? And then I just drank the cup of rich and friend. No, I was like I was like a chaser I needed this out and I'm grateful now LA is on a great trajectory with pizza right now We've been at a great place. We're not in the 2009 times, but holy Shit, I have never had worse pizza in my entire life and I love LA. It's now my city, but oh my god I was so East Coast coated like yeah, yeah F this. Oh my LA. It's now my city but oh my God, I was so East Coast coded like,

F this, oh my God, what's wrong with them? This is the easiest thing, this is the easiest thing that you can't mess up and I learned about the water and the dough and all that stuff. Terrible, zero. So that's your zero, what's your 10? My 10 for dining experience. This is any restaurant anywhere.

That you've ever eaten at. It's called La Farallron in Baja, California, or in Cabo, Cabo, Mexico, which I think is in Baja, California. Delicious. You're on a canyon. You're overseeing these unbelievable waves and it's like a champagne bar and you're served, but oh my God, the food and the appetizers that come through and the slow cooked carnitas with the tacos

and like, holy shit, just the, ordered an old fashioned, ordered a martini. I was like doing roulette with drinks and I just had the literal time of my life. The staff was unbelievable. Obviously the rooms at the resort cost 5,000 a night. Staff makes such a difference. They were so nice.

And I didn't know Cabo is such a melting pot of Mexico people coming there the best chefs the service industry that want to work there make careers at these resorts and you know I went to cover on a press trip and I absolutely just loved every second of it from beginning to end and I just want to go back so badly like it's it's a meal I still think of every single week probably probably, and I always reference it back. So La Farallon at the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal. Okay. You're calibrated.

Yeah. That's your zero, that's your 10. Somewhere between those two experiences, today's Lunch It In-N-Out. Final rating. I will go first. Yeah. I think you have more love for In-N-Out in general. Yeah, yeah. But it is on an upswing with me. I have been eating there a little bit more as like...

Casually. It is one of my defaults now as opposed to like, before it'd be like every once in a while I'd have In-N-Out. Now it's in the rotation. Yeah, protein style, it does wonders. So for me in In-N-Out, I say it's above average. All things considered, fast food just to me For me, in In-N-Out, I say it's above average.

All things considered, fast food just to me isn't hitting the heights of, you know, like a far long, like you said. Yeah, yeah. So. You'd love that place. I love food, dude. Like, yeah, I absolutely would.

Whatever the opposite of unlovable is, is what loveable, that's what I loveable. I was gonna say, the opposite of unlovable, you just take away the un. It's in the word. I just gonna say, the opposite of unlovable, you just take away the un. It's in the word. I always use, since like the old Derek comedy bit on YouTube when Childish Gambino started, I always go, no, that is not good.

That is quite the opposite of what is good. I'm gonna say, in and out, when you put it all together, well-oiled service machine and good food, but at the end of the day, a busy tourist trap place where a lot of the customers, especially in the drive-through are a little bit on edge. They feel like they're in like a Jerry Bruckheimer blockbuster. Just like they're on a mission to go somewhere. Yeah. I'm going to go five point four seven.

Okay. Out of 10, not a knock on in and out. It's just more of like, look, there's tiers to this. Yeah. And fast food can only reach so high for me. Wow. Okay. No, I respect it. Because of the tiers of the other cuisine you're doing, I respect that. I think the resonance of In-N-Out and the history I have with knowing about it, I'm at 7.75. Okay. Yeah.

Yeah. Also valid. I think also nostalgia and attachment and like, you know, even before you moved here There was the legend of in and out. It was the build up in my head about it and not getting it and like I've never had like Fresh beef until I had this burger, you know And so when you put our scores together in and out goes up on the tchotchke of mediocrity at a six point six One. There we go. There we go. Round up to seven in my brain. There it is. Oh wow. Done and done. I love it. Which means objectively we can call In-N-Out better than mediocre. Better than mediocre. It's better than a cracker barrel.

Yeah. Raj, we didn't find the most mediocre restaurant in America, but even if we had, Septemberger has to continue. So next week, I'm going to the number eight seed, White Castle. And where are you going to Las Vegas? Las Vegas. The one downtown. The one on the strip.

The one on the strip. Yep. Oh wow, yeah, right. Oh, and it's gonna be your what, second time White Castle, third, fourth, fifth? Something like that. Yeah, first time for the show. How unexccited are you I'm kind of dreading it the fries are good okay the crinkle crinkle fries I think it's just a right of fries

that they use really we'll find out yeah I have a resonance I'd like White Castle is like a four or five for me okay four point five because of the movie and just because of that's what was open, that and Wawa, this like convenience store sub place, those were the only two things open, 24 hours in Jersey for a gun. So that's where you'd go when someone had a car. So you've had your fair share of White Castle.

Yeah, yeah. Even though I'm dreading it, I am excited to have an episode on it. So that'll be next week. Raj, thanks so much for coming on the podcast. Thanks so much for having me, man. I'm such a big fan and just so excited to be here to talk about food. I think they'll come back anytime. This is phenomenal.

Yeah. You want to tell people where they can find you on social media, anything you're plugging. Find me on all social media at ASAPRaji, A-S-A-P-R-A-J-Y for live music reviews, movie reviews, TV reviews, most importantly, food and travel of adventures everywhere I go. Amazing. Awesome. And you can follow me on Instagram and travel of adventures everywhere I go. Amazing. Awesome. And you can follow me on Instagram and TikTok at Fine Dining podcast. Go to the Patreon.

This month's September semifinal final episode will be free for all all followers. You don't even have to put down the money, but you do get a free seven day trial that'll give you access to everything. You get the full all five Yelp from Strangers reviews, as opposed to just two for free and an exclusive episode every single month, which more often than not is a brand new restaurant that I haven't done on the proper run of the show. We didn't find the most mediocre restaurant in America.

The search does in fact continue. We'll see you next time. Have a fine day. The search continues. We still need you next time. Have a fine day! And I conclude the mother-eating search continues. Raddison I-2's review. And hey, while you're at it, why don't you go ahead and make it five stars, huh? Come on. Follow us on TikTok, the same on Instagram, all the socials

At Find Dining Podcast we have a website FindDiningPodcast.com Buy our t-shirts, then put them on And don't forget, you can always suggest where we go next. OKAY! We're going to find it! Mediocrity! The search continues!

See you next week! Cough cough cough cough cough Hurt my throat a little. Have a fine day!