same class. Is it a gourmet burger, hades no. It cannot be compared to the burgers at

fuddruckers
red robin
and local $8-$10 burger joints

Thats not the market its chasing after, and thats not the market it operates in.

The next step down would be

Carls Jr.
Sonic

Both pretty decent burgers, but more in the $7 price class. You really cant walk out of those places for under $7.


The class In-n-out chases is the fast food $5 burger meal. Its competitors are

Wendy's
McDonalds
Burger King
Jack in the Box
and in theory Chadders (although they are done once in-out expands)


Now . . a customer has $5 and all 6 of the above stores are right next to each other, where will the customer go? McDonalds is standard garbage the patties are frozed, then nuked, and they taste like it, they tried rolling out an "Angus" line, but that is really targeted at the higher end, not really the $5 class. Jack in the box is famous for using Kangaroo meat and other road kill substitutes, but has always been a greasy favorite of mine. Burger King is a valid competitor, except they always put about a gallon of mayo on each burger, and the ones I have been to are not exactly the cleanest places I have seen. Wendy's is a perpetual favorite . . .but lately . . where's the beef? Wendy's has gone downhill. Chadders is a valid competitor, but there are only a couple places to go, and you have to drive 20 minutes to get there. If it were sitting right next to the others, I would probably hit chadders.

So that leaves in-n-out. THe freshest cheap burger out there. The stores are always clean, the produce is always fresh, and the quality always consistent. Is it a GREAT burger? definitely not. Is it worth driving 100 or more miles for? No. Is it worth waiting 30 minutes in line for? No. Is it the best burger in its class? Yes. If you want a quality $5 meal that you can get in under 5 minutes, in-n-out is the best choice.