Considering that Fat City is mainly about Kansas City cuisine and there isn't an In-N-Out Burger within 1,000 miles of here, I sure do mention the chain a lot.
That's because in my short time on the West Coast I became obsessed with the joint's high quality. Yes, there are many good burger places in town and we do have a Five Guys in Olathe, but In-N-Out represents the zenith of fast food.
Which is why this bit in a recent L.A. Times article on the company is so intriguing:
[CEO Mark] Taylor has been quoted as saying he intends to stick to a pattern ofopening 10 to 12 new stores a year, though [former executive Richard] Boyd claimed in his lawsuit
that he had heard him express national ambitions.
An expansion across the Mississippi would probably strain In-N-Out's
self-generated financial resources to the limit -- the chain doesn't
even accept franchisees. But a public offering, much less a buyout by a
public company, would almost certainly render it unrecognizable.
Yes, that says national ambitions!
Now granted, talk is cheap. But it does mean that In-N-Out has at
least considered the possibility. The second graf is even more
intriguing. While an expansion across the Mississippi would strain the
company, that territory would, of course, include Kansas City.
But money is not the main reason the chain hasn't expanded. It wants to ensure quality, and to do that all stores have to be within a certain distance of distribution centers. It's not setting up restaurants that's the problem, it's setting up these distribution centers. It doesn't make sense for the company to do that in the Midwest.
Despite the founding family being nutty, the executives who run the company are whip-smart. So if anyone can think of a way around this problem, it's them. Until then, I'll have to settle for In-N-Out only once or twice a year, which is probably better for me anyway.
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I still don't know how In-N-Out does it for the price. It's not like there are no decent burgers in KC. But nobody has a double cheeseburger (at least one that's fit to eat) for $2.99 like In-N-Out does.
Although if I'm going all the way to California for a cheeseburger, I want one from Original Joe's on Taylor in San Francisco. Medium - hold the onions.
Agreed on analogy with Trader Joe's. I go to the one in STL every time I am there but still have no idea why. I buy less stuff with every visit, mostly chocolate and dry fruit.
In-n-Out is just like Trader Joe's for me.
My first visit to both made me shake my head, mouth agape, wondering when and how KC could ever be cool enough to have an outlet of its own.
My third visit to each was plenty enjoyable, but with a stroke of melancholy--not because anything had changed, but because the magic and intrigue was waning.
And now, it would be great to have them both nearby, but they have ceased to be a "must stop" when I'm in the neighborhood.
Srsly! Screw the locations east of here, I want a double-double in mah belleh!
Ok, I can't eat a double-double. But I want a regular burger and some fries! Gaaawwwd, the fries. So. good.
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