Once again, a FF chain is the restaurant of the day

I don't get it.  In n' Out Burger?  As the featured restaurant?  Makes as much sense as when it was Steak n' Shake.  Any restaurant, no matter how good, where you can get the exact same food at any location, and said locations are available in multiple states, is NOT ROADFOOD!  Are we really that desperate for places to feature?

I am pretty sure In-n-Out Burger is a long-time favorite of Michael Stern.  (His review is from July 2003.)

The founders of this site, who are also the authors of the Roadfood books, disagree with you.

At 140 miles, it is the closest I've ever lived to a Roadfood
featured place. I'm not sure whether that's good or bad, or just means people aren't obsessed with hot dogs out this way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsbYx6hevoQ

I agree that In n' Out is a good thing for an RF'r to know about.  I'm very happy about the web site content as it is.  I'd be willing to look at the web site you create for less "desperate" people.

Meanwhile, perhaps you should take a pill and relax.

I am relaxed, why don't you relax?  I was just confused, as I was before, on how FF is Roadfood.  Obviously others disagree, so let's just all go on with our lives.

Take a pill? Seriously?  Personal attacks aren't allowed last I knew, and I was simply asking a question.  If you can't deal with that, perhaps I'm not the one who should take a pill.

You do realize that the restaurant of the day is just randomly pulled from the reviews right?  I mean there isn't a standing committee that gathers each evening and votes on who is worthy of the next day's feature.  I guess they could lock themselves in a BBQ joint and send signals from the smokehouse when it is decided.  But that might get a little time consuming.

As I understand it, recent reviews get priority and if there are none it's just random.  So, since there are reviews of Steak & Shake, In-n-Out, and Waffle House, then yes they will be featured from time to time. 

There are a ton of fastfood joints on Roadfood

Hot dogs are fast food - tons of hot dog reviews on here

Hamburgers are fast food - tons of hamburger reviews on here

etc etc etc

Fast Food and Road food are not mutually exclusive terms

We could really mess up this discussion if we included the Label "GOODFOOD" in with FF and RF. GOODFOOD being a part of the title of one or more of the Stern's Books! Yep, trying to stick various places and menu items into ONE of these three mutually UN-exclusive catagories could certainly increase the endless addition of "I'm right and You're NOT" posts. 

Funny,  the picture came up on my screen and I thought... 

That looks just like In n Out.

Then I scrolled down and laughed when it was.

What I can't get at home is roadfood when I find it.

Like for me that would include the Runza chain.

For me it would include the Maid-rite chain.

  For me it include's the "Doe's Eat Place" and "Wintzell's Oyster House" multiple outlet business's.   Oh Yeah, We'd better add CULVER'S to that list !!!

Don't forget Farmer Boys, Al.

Any place at which one can go to a counter and receive one's food order in a minute or so is a Fast Food Restaurant.  The idea that such an establishment cannot be a Roadfood restaurant is absurd.

Sometimes it's just good to sit back and watch the insanity unfold.

I'm not sure when the separation of chain vs. sole or small number location restaurants took place. I think there can also be a separation between the selection of restaurant-of-the-day and the forum, where chains have their own section.

There is definitely a different 'feel' between a single roadfood place, where the owner works in the building, and a chain restaurant serving the exact same menu, and managed by someone trying to boost his numbers.

However, eating at In-N-Out in California reminded me of eating at the also-reviewed All-American Hamburger Drive-In of Massapequa, Long Island, New York. Freshly cut french fries. Single and double hamburgers. Shakes. Sodas. Reasonable prices.

The reality of the situation is that if a chain is not national, a visitor to their area doesn't know if this is the only such restaurant or if it is a regional chain.

I think the reason the FF chains get such a bad rap today is that, over the years, they have tinkered with the formula so much it is now industrial food. How many burger chains use fresh beef today? Any chain that serves mashed potatoes, dirty rice, frozen scrambled egg patties, etc. is not preparing the food from fresh ingredients. In-N-Out did not leave me with that "industrial food" impression.

I don't think it's the fact of being Fast Food, but Chain Food.  Oh well, so many topics in the archives every time this happens...

wheres Baah Ben when we need him?
never had an In n Out burger. too bad we don't  have one here in Daytona.
but they are opening a Five Guys.

felix4067 have you eaten at In-N-Out?

Bob

 I have enjoyed both the Burgers you mention--In-n-Out and 5 Guys and I must point out there would not be a fair competition between the two brands. They are quite different in make-up and appearance. I believe they are as 'different' as either one would be when compared to a White Castle or Culvers.  I happen to like all of the above!

   It would be a hard choice for me, if I wanted a Burger, and was at an intersection where there was a 5 Guys, an In-n-Out, a White Castle and a Culvers on the corners. Maybe traffic flow would be the deciding factor ! 

If the line's not too long, I'm pulling in to Culver's.

hatteras04


You do realize that the restaurant of the day is just randomly pulled from the reviews right?  I mean there isn't a standing committee that gathers each evening and votes on who is worthy of the next day's feature.  I guess they could lock themselves in a BBQ joint and send signals from the smokehouse when it is decided.  But that might get a little time consuming.

As I understand it, recent reviews get priority and if there are none it's just random.  So, since there are reviews of Steak & Shake, In-n-Out, and Waffle House, then yes they will be featured from time to time. 

This is probably way off topic, but the image of a team huddling in a BBQ place deciding on the restaurant of the day (and sending smoke signals, no less) really struck me as funny.  Of course, I would volunteer to be in that BBQ place any time someone wanted to form that standing or eating committee.

mayor al


Bob

 I have enjoyed both the Burgers you mention--In-n-Out and 5 Guys and I must point out there would not be a fair competition between the two brands. They are quite different in make-up and appearance. I believe they are as 'different' as either one would be when compared to a White Castle or Culvers.  I happen to like all of the above!

   It would be a hard choice for me, if I wanted a Burger, and was at an intersection where there was a 5 Guys, an In-n-Out, a White Castle and a Culvers on the corners. Maybe traffic flow would be the deciding factor ! 

Here's a good take on In-N-Out v Culver's v Smashburger v Five Guys:
http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/fb.ashx?m=555887

I have enjoyed three of the four listed in ETR's link-review.  I have not tried the SmashBurger, but hope to soon.
  Of the three I like the Culver's a little better than In-n-Out, and both better than 5 Guys Burger ( but all are very good). One reason for my choice of Culver's stems from the variety of the menu. A Walleye Sandwich, or a good BPT are fairly scarce here in Kentuciana. Culver's does a good job with both of those sandwiches.

As far as the French Fries go, I vote for 5 Guys, Hands down! The In-n-Out FF get limp and cold before you can eat half of the order...and if you eat some of the Burger first, the FF will be beyond poor by the time you get to them.  In Culver's case the krinkle-cut FF are ok if you order them "extra Crispy" They hold their temperature pretty well, but they have that frozen potato taste that is hard to get rid of in the Fryer.  My only gripe with 5 Guys is that they should have a 'moderate-sized" order size available for those of us who use FF's as a side dish, not a potato maindish !!!

EatingTheRoad


felix4067 have you eaten at In-N-Out?

I have.  It was a perfectly serviceable burger, but nothing to write home about.  Much like the burgers at most FF chains.

Edit:
I guess I need to clarify.  There is nothing wrong with FF chains.  I eat at them fairly regularly myself.  It's the idea of a FF chain being the restaurant of the day on a site that prides itself on promoting Roadfood with which I take issue.  To me, it is no different than seeing Long John Silvers or Pizza Hut in the same space.  I like both of them, but neither one is Roadfood.

I wish we had a long john silver's.

felix4067

but neither one is Roadfood.

and yet, the Sterns have them listed as Roadfood

bill voss


I wish we had a long john silver's.

LJS sometimes saves me by being the only place around that has hushpuppies...for that alone I have a special place in my heart (stomach) for them.

^^They don't taste the same & if you make em at home, you can add sliced green onions to the batter.