About.com Rating
This Spring, In-N-Out Burger opened its first two Texas locations in Frisco and Allen. Since then, Dallas and Fort Worth were lucky enough to get a couple of locations too.
My Experience
I ventured over to the Frisco In-N-Out Burger in the middle of the afternoon on Labor Day Monday. It was a beautiful fall day so I thought I would check it out while I had some spare time. I decided to see how much time customers were spending in line.
I arrived at the drive-through lane at 3:07 p.m. A person was taking order outside of the drive-through window to expedite customers through the line. I ordered the double-double, fries with no salt, and a flavored iced tea.
The line snaked along the restaurant fairly quickly. I arrived at the first window to pay for my order at 3:17 p.m. Ten minutes in line was pretty fast -- considering In-N-Out's first visitors waited in line for up to 3 hours. Two minutes later I received my order.
I pulled around into a neighboring restaurant's parking lot to snap a couple of photos and dig in to my long-awaited meal. I know transplants from California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah have raved about this fast-food restaurant and were so glad to hear the news of corporate expansion into Texas. I visited a restaurant in Reno, NV but didn't remember it being extraordinary. But I'm totally willing to give it another shot.
The Fries
In-N-Out is famous for its fries. They are made from real potatoes. I knew about the secret menu for burgers but apparently there is a secret menu for fries as well.
It's pretty obvious but here it is in case you decide to get wild and go off the menu:
Fries "Light:" Decreased cooking time for a softer product. Fries "Light Well:" Slightly increased cooking time for a crispy outside. Fries "Well:" Increased cooking time for a crispier product. Fries "Extra-Well:" Further increased cooking time for a very crispy product. "Animal Fries:" Melted cheese, spread, and grilled onions. Cheese Fries: Fries with cheese
The Burgers
All burgers start out with one or more 1/8 lb. beef patties cooked medium-well and they are served on a toasted bun. Here is the secret menu for burgers.
My First In-N-Out Texas Meal
The Fries
I sampled the French Fries first. Sadly, I was disappointed. I ordered the fries without salt -- which usually guarantees that I get hot, fresh-from-the-fryer fries -- but not this time. My order was warm-to-cold. A fast-food restaurant just can't serve a lukewarm french fry. My order was accurate because they were served without salt. But they were cold.
The Burger
The burger was hot and juicy. It was prepared exactly as I had ordered it: mustard, pickles, cheese and no salt. It made up for the cold fries. I know they serve fresh vegetables but I've never been a fan of salad on my hot burger. And Texas is a "mustard" state.
The Drink
I ordered sweet tea. It was OK but nothing extraordinary.
Did it Live Up to the Hype?
Overall, I would have to say that it was just an average dining experience. Kudos to In-N-Out Burger for creating such a buzz and marketing hype that this is the end-all, beat-all burger. It's not. It's good but it doesn't live up to the hype, in my opinion. It's just another fast-food burger option.
This Spring, In-N-Out Burger opened its first two Texas locations in Frisco and Allen. Since then, Dallas and Fort Worth were lucky enough to get a couple of locations too.
My Experience
I ventured over to the Frisco In-N-Out Burger in the middle of the afternoon on Labor Day Monday. It was a beautiful fall day so I thought I would check it out while I had some spare time. I decided to see how much time customers were spending in line.
I arrived at the drive-through lane at 3:07 p.m. A person was taking order outside of the drive-through window to expedite customers through the line. I ordered the double-double, fries with no salt, and a flavored iced tea.
The line snaked along the restaurant fairly quickly. I arrived at the first window to pay for my order at 3:17 p.m. Ten minutes in line was pretty fast -- considering In-N-Out's first visitors waited in line for up to 3 hours. Two minutes later I received my order.
I pulled around into a neighboring restaurant's parking lot to snap a couple of photos and dig in to my long-awaited meal. I know transplants from California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah have raved about this fast-food restaurant and were so glad to hear the news of corporate expansion into Texas. I visited a restaurant in Reno, NV but didn't remember it being extraordinary. But I'm totally willing to give it another shot.
The Fries
In-N-Out is famous for its fries. They are made from real potatoes. I knew about the secret menu for burgers but apparently there is a secret menu for fries as well.
It's pretty obvious but here it is in case you decide to get wild and go off the menu:
The Burgers
All burgers start out with one or more 1/8 lb. beef patties cooked medium-well and they are served on a toasted bun. Here is the secret menu for burgers.
My First In-N-Out Texas Meal
The Fries
I sampled the French Fries first. Sadly, I was disappointed. I ordered the fries without salt -- which usually guarantees that I get hot, fresh-from-the-fryer fries -- but not this time. My order was warm-to-cold. A fast-food restaurant just can't serve a lukewarm french fry. My order was accurate because they were served without salt. But they were cold.
The Burger
The burger was hot and juicy. It was prepared exactly as I had ordered it: mustard, pickles, cheese and no salt. It made up for the cold fries. I know they serve fresh vegetables but I've never been a fan of salad on my hot burger. And Texas is a "mustard" state.
The Drink
I ordered sweet tea. It was OK but nothing extraordinary.
Did it Live Up to the Hype?
Overall, I would have to say that it was just an average dining experience. Kudos to In-N-Out Burger for creating such a buzz and marketing hype that this is the end-all, beat-all burger. It's not. It's good but it doesn't live up to the hype, in my opinion. It's just another fast-food burger option.