In-N-Out Burger, Arcadia, CA
230 lbs (originally 296)
As a recent import from Texas, I have to say that I'm a little mystified by the long - and I do mean long - lines of cars at the local In-N-Out here in Arcadia. Man, they gotta be on the order of a 45 minute wait at least. Is *any* junk food burger worth that? Granted, n-N-Out is cheaper than other burger joints, but the wait alone cancels out any savings (you're in effect working for far less than minimum wage).
No, I have to conclude that people are coming for the product, which is pretty okay. It is NOT Whataburger, which doesn't exist in California, but my final assessment is this: it is medium grade product excellently and speedily prepared by friendly, cheerful staff. While that's not worth a long wait to me, it's very clear that IN-N-Out Burger knows their niche and has a good thing going.
I got the Double Double all the way with fries and a Coke, because it's By God America and that's the law. The burger was American Cheesy good and hot. The fries (like McDonald's of recent years) have a definite crunch half-life and as such are good for about 5 minutes max, after which they become cardboard. During those five minutes, though, they're serviceable. Get salt for them. The coke was properly mixed and had the soft-crunch ice - bueno.
I went on a night a bit late when the line was only about 5 minutes. Do that and you'll be okay.
I see online that my calorie sin tally was about 1,000. That's a lot, but surprisingly less than, say, a Chipotle burrito with chips and a coke.
