Sorry, Wichita. In-N-Out Burger’s just not that into us | Column
I’ve been in Kansas for 23 years now, but occasionally, I still feel like “that new guy from California,” as I was known for about my first 15 years at The Eagle.
One of those times is when it comes to In-N-Out Burger.
Throughout my 20-year residency on the left coast, it was my go-to place for burgers and fries. It’s the first place I stop when I visit my sister in Nevada, and when I pass through Texas, I’ll drive out of my way to go to one in Dallas, which is as close as they get to Wichita.
We were cruelly misled in 2019 when some prankster posted a stock photo from Texas purportedly showing an In-N-Out under construction at Greenwich Place.
So when I got a Facebook post Saturday inviting questions to the In-N-Out company, I decided to go for it.
It didn’t go as well as I hoped:
Sat 1:19 PM You sent
When are you going to open your Wichita restaurant?
Sat 2:42 PM In-N-Out Burger
Thanks for asking, Dion.
We are always careful not to open a new location until we can guarantee the same quality that we provide in our existing locations.
We will keep Wichita in mind as we continue to expand.
Thanks for reaching out.
- Yesenia
Mon 10:16 AM You sent
Hi Yesenia.
Can you explain the quality concerns in a bit more detail please?
Kansas is a major beef-exporting state and I’d be shocked if you weren’t using the high-quality meat from our stockyards and packing plants here in your restaurants already.
Also, our workforce here is highly skilled and produces some of the most advanced aircraft in the world. We can probably handle making burgers, fries and shakes without falling apart. (wink emoji)
Mon 1:36 PM In-N-Out Burger
Good morning Dion, and thank you for responding.
We work hard to ensure all of our locations, especially our new ones, are providing the same high-quality food and service that our company has been providing for almost 75 years.
This includes never freezing our food, making each patty with only fresh, individually inspected, whole chucks from premium cattle, and ensuring all our condiments are the freshest they can be.
While we have no doubt we would have a welcoming and successful reception in Wichita, we simply do not have plans to expand into the State of Kansas at this point in time.
We apologize for any disappointment, but we are grateful to fans such as yourself who express interest in having us expand as far as we can!
- Maria
So there you have it Wichita.
No In-N-Out for us. Again. Maybe never.
At least I know I tried. And I can sort of understand their position. We’re a small city and a long way from the company’s Los Angeles roots.
I was introduced to the In-N-Out experience in 1977 in the LA suburb of La Crescenta, where I moved in my senior year of high school.
The menu was simple and honest: hamburger, cheeseburger, Double-Double; fresh house-cut french fries, pop and shakes — vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.
Like countless California ex-teenagers now of a certain age, my high-school car proudly sported what we thought was a hilariously risque play on words — an In-N-Out Burger bumper sticker with the “B” and the “R” cut off.
While other fast-food places change to try to keep up with the times, In-N-Out’s just like it was when I was a teenager — no salads, no smoothies, no lattes.
They survive and thrive by paying attention to the food. In all the years I’ve eaten there, I’ve never once gotten a burger that had the sauce on one side and a clump of pickles on the other.
But maybe it’s for the best.
I weighed 165 pounds when I got here and I now weigh 150. I attribute that largely to the absence of In-N-Out.
I just wished they hadn’t dissed our beef.
That stings.
This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
