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| - My first experience with an In-N-Out Burger has quite a story attached to it. It was December 2001 and I was in Hollywood CA attending the first official Muppet fan convention. Most of the fest had taken place at a center in Santa Monica but the grand finale was a live performance of The Muppet Show at The Hollywood Palace. The group I was carpooling with to the theater said we HAD to stop for dinner at In-&-Out since it was practically a California legend and no trip to the area should take place without eating there. (In-&-Out did open its first Arizona location a year prior though not this one and I hadn't yet eaten at any.) It certainly was an incredibly enjoyable experience but what made it even more memorable was that when we later watched the show, the opening number was the classic Muppet routine "Mahna Mahna" - and in this version, Mahna Mahna left the stage near the end of the number as the huge video screens cut to (prerecorded) footage of Mahna Mahna stepping into a limo, cruising the area and pulling up to...the very same In-&-Out Burger! Those of us who had just been there a couple hours before totally went wild and applauded like mad!
So of course when more In-N-Out's started opening in Phoenix and finally this particular locale nice and close to me, this was very exciting! How could I not eat at one and instantly recall that wonderful memory from one of the happiest times of my life?
Indeed, it's a great place to visit and I've never had any kind of problems or issues there. Still, all things considered it's not a place i visit more than once every few months even though i'm at that intersection often. One of the main obstacles is that I'm a bus rider/pedestrian. I'm often visiting shops on the SW corner - and ultimately that's where I would be catching my bus to go home. Unfortunately there's no crosswalk connecting the SW and the NW corner of the intersection so you have to go around the long way to cross the street - crossing three different streets (and waiting on three different lights). The hassle usually isn't worth it when there are so many other easily accessible dining areas available to me.
But still when I visit, the experience is a good one. Unlike most burger places, there are just a few items on their entire menu - there's three combo meals, the difference between them being how the burger is prepared. This helps people go "in and out" because they don't spend ages antagonizing over what they're going to order! The burgers are excellent. Yet I must admit while they're among the better tasting burgers out there, they're not my favorite - I actually prefer those from Hamburger Works and from Culver's...which is one of those other dining options on that SW corner of the intersection! The fries are pretty disappointing. Especially when you consider that this restaurant only has a few specific items they specialize in, you'd expect the things they do have to be much better. They aren't awful but far from anything to write home about either...they rely on the ketchup to make them more digestible. But I suppose part of the problem is that the restaurant has obtained such a legendary following that if there were to even slightly tamper with its existing recipes/preparation, too many of the Die-Hards would cry Blasphemy. So for better or for worse I guess we're stuck with the blandness that is the In-N-Out french fries.
So aside from great burgers & shakes with a side of not-so-great fries, what else sets them apart? Well, there's the fact that everything is made with all natural fresh ingredients. They also retain a very classic nostalgic look in both the decor/design of the restaurants and the look of the employees. I know there's some locations where maintaining that aesthetic tends to make their hiring a little elitist in that they tend to favor young Caucasian males. But on my most recent visit, there was a good mix of ages, gender, and ethnicity working there. Everyone is super polite - and it's not just "an act" since they pay their employees very well compared to competitors so the people serving you are truly happy to be there. One can almost feel like they're stepping through a time machine when they've entered their doors to a simpler, easier, more carefree time - until you're confronted with the reality of 2010's prices. But still even though you're not gonna be paying a quarter for a burger the way you might be if you were truly back in time, the prices aren't too expensive or out of control either.
Another thing worthy of note. In the seating area where you wait for your order, you have a clear view of the entire kitchen/food prep area. It's clean and very well maintained. Consistently!
So it may not be completely perfect or the most convenient option, it still is a generally pleasant experience when I visit. Though part of me still secretly hopes that one of these days, I'll stop in and find Mahna Mahna there grabbing a bite!
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