Shannon B.
Yelp
Let me set the scene: it was summer of 2015. A group of friends and I wanted a casual place to have lunch and hang out. A few of those friends started RAVING about In-N-Out. That was the first glimpse I had of the raging fanatics that love this place more than any other burger joint in the nation. We went. We ate. I remember it being okay, but I didn't see what the hype was all about.
Fast forward 6 years later. It's 2021 and my husband and I have an In-N-Out close to our house in Orem. Every single time we drive by, be it lunch time, late afternoon, or late into the night, there is a giant line at the In-N-Out drive through! We couldn't figure it out. We both remembered having meh experiences and we weren't sure we wanted to go back and relive that. But the giant lines went on, and on, and on. Were we wrong all those years ago? Was it time to go back to In-N-Out and see if a revelation of flavor was waiting for us there?
Finally, on a crazy whim, and at 11:30pm on a Friday night we ventured out to the valley of the shadow of death; I mean the In-N-Out drive through in Draper. At first we tried to go inside. We were living it up! But upon entering the restaurant the strong smell of onions, and I mean the *strong* smell of onions, compelled us to go back to our car. (Covid hasn't been nice to our sense of smell, ya know?)
We weren't about to give up just yet. We decided to put on our big kid pants and go through the drive through. If Chick-fil-A can master a drive through, so can they!Right...?
Wrong. We waited in line for 25 minutes, and not a single "my pleasure" was heard that night. But this review isn't about the masterminds behind Chick-fil-A, it's about the most controversial burger place in the west. When we finally reached the menu I was pleased by the small selection. It makes it easy to order and it feels like they specialize in what they do! However, somewhere deep in my heart I knew there was a secret menu and not knowing what was on it made my heart pound! What if we got the wrong thing?? We decided to go simple. We got a classic cheeseburger, mine plain and my husbands with all the fixings except onions, a drink, a strawberry shake, and some fries.
Here's the juicy meat of my review: WE WERE NOT WRONG about *most* things.
The shake: just as bad as I remember it. Like when you used to squeeze strawberry syrup into your milk, but colder. It was overly sweet and not frozen enough.
The fries: They make you salt your own fries??!? What the? I know it's called In-N-Out but it can't possibly take them that long... Let's be honest, they look hideous. No golden color in sight. But, they are delicious. Not soggy or soft, but they had a good crunch and a nice flavor.
The burger: Here is the best and also the most unfortunate part of the meal. The best part? That bun! That is a toasty delicious revelation right there. Why doesn't everyone toast their buns like that? It gave a great crunch and a buttery flavor in every bite. The cheese is just your classic American, so, not great. The meat is good but thin and nothing to write home about. The worst part though? THERE IS NO BACON. What kind of hamburger place doesn't offer bacon?? This is America people! We win gold medals at the Olympics and we serve bacon on our burgers. Honestly, the lack of bacon is what will always keep me from coming back. Oh and they put onions on my husband's burger even though we asked them not to, but whatever.
Here's how the story ends: we remembered correctly our experiences in the past and we probably won't be back. It's a really long wait for a meh experience, and the lack of bacon is just... the worst. But it's also not the worst experience! So if your group of friends won't stop raving about this overhyped place, go ahead and go. Don't get the shake, and probably order something off that secret menu I know nothing about. Three stars. Peace out.