Culver's vs. In-And-Out

Having had several meals at both places now, I contend Culver's kicks In-And-Out's butt in almost every department. But both places are pretty good, and admittedly In-And-Out wins French fry consolation cup. - Rusty

The closest Culver's location to In 'n Out territory is in Colorado Springs. That's more than a day's drive to the nearest In 'n Out in Las Vegas. That makes comparisons tricky. The huge difference in menus further complicates that.

According to your profile, you live in Michigan, right? That puts you a 3-4 day drive from the nearest In 'n Out, whereas there might be a Culver's in your very own town. As to your preference for Culver's, I'd say 'How nice for you," as Miss Manners suggests we respond.

Last summer I ate at a Culver's, and I found it unremarkable.

Don't take it personally, Mr. Cheeseburger. I just got back from a trip out west to California and Las Vegas, where I could sample In-And-Outs. You are correct, there are no In-And-Outs in Michigan, but Culver's has moved inn, thank goodness. However, the thread is there for those who have sampled both restaurants, as I now have, declaring Culver's the winner. - Rusty

The Sundancer has experienced Inn and Out in California many times and Culvers in Milwaukee and other places several times. Quite frankly I enjoy them both but where Culvers beats them down easily is in appearance and cleanliness. In addition Culvers has good ice cream and their butter burgers are very good.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I give my vote to Culver's I think they beat in and out in every way.
The last time I had a burger at in and out there was a piece of metal either from the grill or utensil they turned the burgers with on the meat. It cut my tongue. I live in Northern Cal and really like In and Out's frys, I also go to Iowa a lot and that is where I ran into the delights of Culver's. Culver's butter burger has it all over In and Out's, IMHO.

All my years in SoCal made me a real supporter of In N Out when compared to all other FF burgers...except the Farmer Boy's Mini-chain in the Inland Empire.
After enjoying Culvers here in Indiana and in Wisconsin MANY times I would probably give them the edge...for the following reasons-
1. Menu Choices- In N Out is very limited. If you wanted something other than a burger that day you'd be out of luck. Culvers does have some very good burger alternatives. For me the breaded Pork Tenderloin is a darn good sandwich at our local Culvers. AND the Custard is a real plus also.
2. Size of the burgers. The basic 'Double' done by Culvers out weighs it's In N Out competition by quite a bit. The toasted bun at In N Out seems to have that 50's burger taste to it...but the Butter-Burger is equal to it. There are more condiments available at Culvers.
Beverage refills are self-service at Culvers.... At In N Out you may be charged for refills..depends on the store .

All in all I give Culvers a 9 out of 10 and In N Out an 8. (Farmer Boy's gets a 9) Any of the big boys...BK Mcdonalds or Hardees won't rate a 5 unless I am really hungry!!!

Oh boy, this is a good topic of discussion. Can someone convince those chains to setup shop in New England so I can make a better assessment?

quote:

Originally posted by michaelgemmell

The closest Culver's location to In 'n Out territory is in Colorado Springs. That's more than a day's drive to the nearest In 'n Out in Las Vegas. That makes comparisons tricky. The huge difference in menus further complicates that.

According to your profile, you live in Michigan, right? That puts you a 3-4 day drive from the nearest In 'n Out, whereas there might be a Culver's in your very own town. As to your preference for Culver's, I'd say 'How nice for you," as Miss Manners suggests we respond.

Last summer I ate at a Culver's, and I found it unremarkable.

Wait a minute, the restaurants don't need to be close at all to compare them. We FLY to Vegas from a state neighboring Michigan often, and try to hit In'nOut at least once each trip.

Culver's recently moved here, and I was so hopeful that the butter burger would be as good or better than I&O, but the nod goes to I&O burger.

BUT, Oh My, Culver's has wonderful WALLEYE PIKE sandwiches and dinners that (for a chain, for a ff place) that are very satisfying. Their menu is very ambitiously large.

FROZEN CUSTARD is their speciality of course.

What is the point of this discussion? These two chains do not compete. I live in California. There is no Culver's and since I think it unlikely I'll ever spend any time in what I gather to be their turf, they are irrelevent to me. The same might be said of In-N-Out by somebody in the midwest. For me, frankly, much of the attraction of In-N-Out is the California 50's mistique, embodied in their peerless T-shirts. Again, Culver's, not being a California institution, is irrelevent.

quote:

Originally posted by Stephen Rushmore Jr.

Oh boy, this is a good topic of discussion. Can someone convince those chains to setup shop in New England so I can make a better assessment?

I think Gizmolito got it exactly right by saying about Culver's that "Their menu is very ambitiously large." Al, I'm glad you enjoy the pork tenderloin sadwiches you get. I had one in Michigan City IN, and considering the amount of gristle it contained, I'd say it was probably not actually from the tenderloin. There was a place in my home town of Galesburg IL that made the tenderloin of my dreams, and Culver's version isn't on the same planet. To me, the genius of In 'n Out is that their menu is so small. Also, I have never paid for a refill at In 'n Out. There's a Steak 'n Shake across US 421 from Culver's in Michigan City, but after having lunch one day at S&S, I wanted to try Culver's after all the positive comments I read here. Next time I will go ahead and eat at Steak 'n Shake twice in one day. YUM!

Stephen, the truth be know, you aren't missing a thing between I&O and Culver's. Do try an In 'n Out some day in the West, but remember it's just a fast food burger, nothing more.

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

The Sundancer has experienced Inn and Out in California many times and Culvers in Milwaukee and other places several times. Quite frankly I enjoy them both but where Culvers beats them down easily is in appearance and cleanliness. In addition Culvers has good ice cream and their butter burgers are very good.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

we don't have In & Outs, here in Michigan, so I can't comment on them.
I found Culver's to have good food, In fact I like it better than Steak & Shake.

Also Culver's Ice Cream is ok but Ritter's Ice Cream is 100 times better than Culver's

http://www.ritters.com/

No question--Culver's does not hold a candle to In-n-Out (unless perhaps you've raised on Culver's weird taste and have not been exposed to better burgers!). It's the difference between a McDonald's hockey puck and a filet mignon.

Culver's vs. In-N-Out? Not a contest! Only those who've never sampled In-N-Out would even consider a contest! Culver's is dry and 'neat', while In-N-Out is 'moist and messy'... like a great burger should be! Evet time I get back home to Pasadena, my first stop is at the little In-N-Out hut on Foothill Blvd!

I responded earlier to a similiar discussion on the Butter Burger thread.
I won't bother to repeat the comments, just invite you to go read them in the original context.

You guys singing the praises of In n Out need to lighten up a bit. It is an Apples and Oranges type of comparison if you are talking about the total business of the companies. I enjoy both places. In n Out was a major player in my Burger experiences for the years I lived in SoCal...and Culver's is becoming that here in the Midwest. I agree with BT's earlier post that it is doubtful that the companies will ever be in direct competition in the forseeable future. So enjoy them in their regions.
It isn't a good idea to imply that people who may not agree with your evaluation of either burger are less than knowledgable about burger quality.

We have both here in the Chicago 'burbs.If a Culver's and a Steak N Shake were on the same street i'd always go for SNS.Culver's has a nice menu as does SNS but SNS does a double steakburger (extra cheese,w/mustard,pickles,and onions)that owns Culver's.My problem with Culver's was the meat.Nothing like SNS-at all.I often pick up mentioned burger at 3:30AM on the way to work but Culver's is locked up like Fort Knox.In and Out,until i get out there will remain thin patties of ground chuck(from Mitsuwa)with shredded lettuce,cheese and Maries Thousand Island.I absolutely loved Naugles double cheeseburgers,but that's from another thread.

Having lived for a substantial amount of time on the West Coast and also in the Midwest, I've had eaten an untold number of meals at both In-N-Out and Culvers. I miss In-N-Out with a passion now that I'm in Indiana. When in California, I can't say that Culver's ever crossed my mind.

We have Culver's here in Kansas, and my wife and I like them - ate lunch at the one in Lawrence today. I've never been to an In-And-Out, but we're going to Las Vegas for the first time the end of this month, so I'm looking forward to trying them. Do they have any locations on or near the Strip?

Are you going again ?, Didn't we go through this already providing website,locations, advice on secret menu....Is this deja vu

Aren't both of these eateries chains?

quote:

Originally posted by Niagara

I've never been to an In-And-Out, but we're going to Las Vegas for the first time the end of this month, so I'm looking forward to trying them. Do they have any locations on or near the Strip?

quote:

stevencarry
Are you going again ?, Didn't we go through this already providing website,locations, advice on secret menu....Is this deja vu

That might have been me for my trip to the Bay Area last November. I did get to In N Out while I was there. It was an enjoyable, if unremarkable experience. Good stuff but, I no more crave an In N Out burger than I do a Culver's, Steak N Shake, or any other major chains' offerings. Like all of them, I'd go back based on a combination of convenience and desperation. None of them would be my first choice.

Now, Paradise Pup's burger, here in Des Plaines, that's worth craving about!

Buddy

Pardon me for bothering you, Stevencarry - I haven't gone yet, and their web site doesn't indicate which ones are near the Strip.

quote:

Originally posted by Niagara

Pardon me for bothering you, Stevencarry - I haven't gone yet, and their web site doesn't indicate which ones are near the Strip.

None to walk to. If you have a rental car or a 24 hour bus pass which I get just to ride the double-decker bus up and down the strip. There are three within five minutes ride. The strip is "S.Las Vegas Blvd" http://www.in-n-out.com/locations_map.asp?state=nv
All three streets are famous and on all strip hotel guide maps
They are Sahara,Industrial(Tropicana) and Maryland Pkwy (UNLV)
If you click on the Industrial loc. on the site you can see NY NY
Hotel behind. Personally I could handle that walk.
Where are you staying ? would help before I make that 5 min statement

Note; There is a secret menu in addition to the one on the site. Other secret items;
Neopolitan Shake
Light Fries
Fries Well Done (best way..crispy)
Animal Style Fries
Flying Dutchman (DoubleBurger/DoubleCheese No Bun/NoToppings)
2 X 4 (2 pattys 4 slices of cheese)
3 By Meat, Four By Meat (no cheese)
Veggie Burger, the weirdest / no patty of any kind

Thanks, Steven - we'll have a car, and are staying at Bally's.

Niagara, as you can see on the location map just turn north between NY NY and Excalibur and cross the freeway. Also if you want to eat somewhere besides the strip and the tips you got here earlier. "restaurant row" is Paradise running paralel with the strip a couple blocks south starting around the Hard Rock going east. Have a great trip.

We just returned from Vegas and stopped at In N' Out and Fatburger. It was pretty much a toss-up although FB had more of a variety for my burger-less spouse. I could go to either place before a McD's. Haven't had a Culver's yet, but an upcoming trip to Milw. may change that. But I'd rather get a roadfood burger instead of a chain.

Is In and Out only drive through, or do they also have a dining room?

Just got back from a weekend trip to Wisconsin (Culvers off every exit in the state it seemed), and was pondering this exact question.

I think the nod must go to In N' Out...but not by a long shot. I'd say Culver's burger is definitely in the same league...especially the double with Swiss. Where Culver's does in fact dominate is the rest of the menu. The fried cod, walleye, pork tenderloin are all good beyond what anyone could reasonably expect from a fast food chain.In fact, we reluctantly ate at an Applebees during this trip (I know, I know..but we had a gift card!)....twice the price of Culvers, and truly horrid food.

What makes both In N' Out and Culvers so superior is a real attention to quality ingredients and preparation.

Though when in LA..go to the Apple Pan...blows both away...

Most In and Outs have a limited space seating room for folks who want to 'eat in'. A few (the one outside Ontario Airport comes to mind) are drive-thru only (I think thay may have an outdoor table or two, but am not sure about that). The one in Lenwood (near Barstow,CA) has a large dining room, but it is still an "order and pick up at the counter and clean your own space when you leave , Please". That store is quite large, and is busy beyond belief on the Vegas-run weekends. I would say that with all the 'invading' So Cal folks that make the Vegas trip each weekend, you may notice a major difference in the crowd size from Friday nite to Sunday Noon at the Vegas In n Out Burger stands.

I was in Vegas in October for the NHRA races. We stayed at New York New York. Directly behind us and on the other side of interstate was a extremely busy In and Out. It wass incredible but every evening when we returned from racing north of the city, we stopped there and the burgers and fries were always fresh and hot.

Al mentioned the one in Ontario. I have also been there many times when we race in Pomona. It was located just a few blocks up the street where we stayed which was the Residence Inn in Ontario. I got the same results at that location.

I would not rate them the best burger ever but when you are tired, hungry, slightly intoxicated and in a hurry, I thought that they were super.

I think Culvers beats them on convenience, cleanliness and menu but being handy has its merits.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN