A few months ago I stepped into the Five Guys for the first time and ate my first heavenly bacon cheeseburger (actually that is a fairly accurate vision of what I believe heaven to be) and super fresh and delicious fries. My life had been forever changed. At the same time I was surprised to find myself caught in the middle of an intense debate. Five Guys or In-N-Out? With nearly every visit to Five Guys I made, inevitably whoever I was with would bring up In-N-Out. It got to the point where I would even express my opinion on the subject even though I had never even tried In-N-Out. Even with my opinions I felt like I would be forever on the fringe of that eternal question.
Until now.
Just recently an In-N-Out was opened nearby, and quite honestly I was intrigued. I figured I would wait a week or so for the lines to die down then I would swoop in and finally be an active participant in the debate. My curiosity got the best of me however and just a day or two after the grand opening I found myself with some friends waiting in line.
The line moved surprisingly fast and everybody seemed excited. I could feel the anticipation building up. I was a little disappointed to find out that In-N-Out does not have bacon cheeseburgers but it wasn't that big of a deal. However when I asked the cashier if they had them she looked at me incredulously and asked if this was my first time eating at In-N-Out. When I replied that it was my first she seemed even more shocked, as if somehow I had never done anything that any reasonable human being does in life like eat, sleep, breathe. She asked me if I had never been on a road trip to California or even Las Vegas (which of course I have, I just never stopped at In-N-Out). She promised me that my life would be forever changed.
The moment of truth arrived and I tried my first combo at In-N-Out. I grabbed a fry and it quite honestly was not what I expected at all. Though I heard they were made fresh from potatoes in the back, it was quite honestly not even better than the fries at McDonalds or Wendy's. I had been anticipating an experience much closer to that offered by Five Guys (who also make their fries fresh from potatoes in front of you) but was sorely disappointed.
I moved onto the burger. There was nothing that special about it. I mean, it was good, but not rave-to-your-friends-and-tell-everyone-it-was-the-best-thing-ever good. I would rank it quite a bit higher than Wendy's but not even close to Five Guys. Finally as I moved onto the shake I thought to myself "Surely this must be why everyone seems to love In-N-Out." Once again disappointment struck it tasted rather syrupy and was not even close to what I anticipated.
While I am grateful I can finally step into the great debate, I find myself more confused than ever, not so much over which is better, but why does this question even exist in the first place? I stepped away from In-N-Out amazed that it could garner so much fanfare. It wasn't awful food, but it definitely does not even compete with Five Guys. How is it even possible then for there to be cars looped around waiting their turn and long lines of people stretching way past the entrance? I was reminded of Krispy Kreme's opening days in Utah. At the time, I thought, "surely they cannot make a doughnut that is THAT good," but found myself pleasantly surprised when I finally tried one. Only with In-N-Out there really was nothing special. I feel like maybe it is a big joke like the Emperor's New clothes, but when will it finally be revealed that it is one?
After the whole ordeal In-N-Out Burger does deserve some recognition. Its like one of those moments when you see an ugly guy with a very attractive girl. I mean the guy deserves a congratulations for whatever he did just as In-N-Out deserves some credit for garnering such large crowds with such mediocre food. So, I guess here's to you In-N-Out Burger!
