In-n-out

[WildBill]

I have read that In-N-Out has an excellent training program for all of their employees. They don't hire someone off the street and put them on the grill cooking patties. They have to be trained to work a certain area before they are promoted to a more advanced operation. This is one of the reasons that they have a good and consistant product. Also, they do not franchise their stores. They are all owned by the company. They believe in quality control.

That was one of the keys to the early success of McDonald's. They used to have McDonald's University where all of the franchise owners had to take classes and graduate before they would be allowed to open their store. I really doubt that happens any more. I have a feeling that if you have enough cash they will give a franchise to just about any one.

[sjfcontrol]

I would bet that the franchisee still has to attend "Hamburger U".

[WildBill]

I would bet that the franchisee still has to attend "Hamburger U".

You are probably right about that, but the quality of their food and service has severely degraded over the years. One of their primary metrics is the time from order to delivery to the customer. That says nothing about the freshness or quality of their food. It's all about moving people through their process as quickly as possible. That is why you see the lines at In-N-Out. It will be interesting to see if their philosophy and business model change in the future.

[Crossfire]

By the way, there was a line backing up onto SB 75 this afternoon. I'm presuming in line for in-n-out.

Friend on facebook claimed the line in Frisco was 2 hours long today.

People need to start taking a sack lunch to eat while they're waiting in line.

Go to McDonald's to get lunch so you can make it through the line to get your In-N-Out?

[apostate]

That was one of the keys to the early success of McDonald's. They used to have McDonald's University where all of the franchise owners had to take classes and graduate before they would be allowed to open their store. I really doubt that happens any more. I have a feeling that if you have enough cash they will give a franchise to just about any one.

Although the capital requirements are significant as well, McD still has a big training program for new franchisees.
(The only reason I know this trivia is because we did a project on franchises for business law class.)

http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/franc ... ining.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

1. How much time does it take to complete the training program?

The comprehensive world class training program can be as short as 9 months or as long as 24 months on a part time basis, approximately 20 hours a week. Some candidates who devote more time to the training program may be able to accomplish program objectives in as little as 9 months. The completion of the training program is not based on time but on mastering the skills necessary to operate great restaurants.

[philip964]

In California you will find an In-n-out across the street from McDonalds. The In-n-out is packed, the McDonald's is empty.
When I am in CA, NV or AZ, it try and limit myself to In-n-out only once a day.

Since the Texas In-n-out is in Dallas, there is still some hope for my recent diet.

[Dave2]

They're good, better than most in fact, but it's still just a fast food burger place. I think those in my "California circles" like them as much for printing John 3:16 on the bottom of their cups as they do for their food.

[WildBill]

Other thing that In-N-Out does is that they limit the menu to burgers, fries and drinks. That makes it easy to track and rotate their inventory. I have read that they don't have freezers in their stores.

Burgers were the basic menu of McDonald's until they started serving chicken, nuggests, fish sandwich, salads, Happy Meals, cappucino, etc. Their competitors like Burger King and Jack-in-the-Box followed with their own meal choices. They also got into the breakfast business, which In-N-Out does not.

[Dave2]

They're good, better than most in fact, but it's still just a fast food burger place. I think those in my "California circles" like them as much for printing John 3:16 on the bottom of their cups as they do for their food.

So after I posted this, I realized that I hadn't been to an In-n-Out Burger since I lived in CA many moons ago. Their website said they were closing at 1:30 last night, so I showed up around 1:10 thinking that their wouldn't be much of a wait...

The drive-through line was wrapped around the building. Twice. If the dinning room was open (didn't check), I wouldn't have been able to park anywhere in their lot because the drive-through line took up all the space. At 1:10 in the morning, twenty minutes before closing.

I guess if they can draw that much of a crowd then good for them, but it boggles my mind that anyone would wait it a line that long for a burger and some fries. It's not like we've got food shortages in this country. And thought the whole point of fast food was that you didn't have to wait for it.

[cheezit]

for those that do not know IN-N-out has a secret menu. http://www.badmouth.net/in-n-outs-secret-menu/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; heres a link to one that looks pretty accurate but for some reason it looks incomplete to me. Been a long time sence I had an IN-N-OUT burger.
there a great company. they do pay well for a burger joint. when I was in high school they were paying $8.00/hour. that was 2.5x min wage. they treat the people well and work them to death. there burgers are ok. IMO I dont like there fries. The shakes are good to.
they were always clean and the people friendly. I wish them the same success they have in CA.

On a side note they were giving away free burgers, and water for a week durring the Northride earth quake in 1994. man was that a long line.

[WildBill]

I guess if they can draw that much of a crowd then good for them, but it boggles my mind that anyone would wait it a line that long for a burger and some fries. It's not like we've got food shortages in this country. And thought the whole point of fast food was that you didn't have to wait for it.

Sometimes you just can't argue with success.

[mgood]

We have a three-page thread on a drive-through hamburger joint.

Yeah, I've eaten at In-N-Out. Yes, it was good. It wasn't that good.
I didn't go much because I refuse to sit in line for a burger (or just about any other food for that matter). I'd go there at times when it wasn't as crowded; middle of the day when most people aren't on their lunch break, late at night, like that.

I wonder if all these people lined up around the block are transplanted Californians who have gone through withdrawals since moving here, or if they're Texans who've been told about the greatness of In-N-Out and are lined up to try it for themselves. I bet there's some of both, but I wonder what the ratio is.

[Dave2]

On a side note they were giving away free burgers, and water for a week durring the Northride earth quake in 1994. man was that a long line.

I didn't know that. It's nice to see a company behaving altruistically.

[WildBill]

On a side note they were giving away free burgers, and water for a week durring the Northride earth quake in 1994. man was that a long line.

I didn't know that. It's nice to see a company behaving altruistically.

They're a credit to the "greedy business owner."

[WildBill]

We have a three-page thread on a drive-through hamburger joint.

Most open carry, printing and 30.06 sign threads go much longer.

I wonder if all these people lined up around the block are transplanted Californians who have gone through withdrawals since moving here, or if they're Texans who've been told about the greatness of In-N-Out and are lined up to try it for themselves. I bet there's some of both, but I wonder what the ratio is.

I don't know if that many people have moved from California to Texas, but one day, if you're not busy, you could do a survey and find out.