XPost: alt.food.fast-food, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, sac.politics   
   XPost: talk.politics.guns, alt.politics.republicans   
   From: leroysoetoro@americans-first.com   
      
   https://nypost.com/2026/02/21/us-news/inside-in-n-outs-cult-following-in-   
   la/   
      
   The drive-thru line at In-N-Out on Venice Boulevard in Culver City curls   
   through the lot and toward the street — engines idling, brake lights   
   glowing, no one peeling off.   
      
   No one seems tempted to bail. For many Angelenos, the delay isn’t a deal-   
   breaker. It’s part of the tradition.   
      
   “Since I was a kid,” said Devante, 26, of Culver City, recalling how long   
   he’s been coming to this location. “I think most [of it] is probably   
   nostalgic… that’s probably the first burger I really remember, and then on   
   top of that… it’s delicious. I love it. It’s good prices, too.”   
      
   On an average Friday afternoon, customers at the busy outpost needed to   
   wait for at least 20 minutes a Double-Double and Animal Style fries. It   
   wasn’t even lunchtime.   
      
   But they are fine with it because of the burgers are consistently fresh,   
   good value, and consistent given there’s a limited menu.   
      
   The service is also considered top notch and comes with a distinctly   
   Southern California identity that competitors haven’t been able to   
   replicate.   
      
   Industry drive-thru benchmarking shows what “normal” looks like at major   
   chains.   
      
   A 2025 mystery-shopper study put the average fast-food drive-thru order at   
   5 minutes and 35 seconds, with McDonald’s at 6:03 and Chick-fil-A at 7:07.   
      
   In other words, the Culver City queue isn’t the typical fast-food baseline   
   — and that’s exactly what makes it stand out.   
      
   “It’s always what I expect,” Devante said. “Always what you expect.”   
      
   That reliability runs throughout the brand’s appeal.   
      
   Despite the constant lines, In-N-Out’s footprint in Los Angeles is far   
   smaller than its biggest rival.   
      
   The chain operates 85 locations across the LA area, compared with more   
   than 300 McDonald’s restaurants in Los Angeles County.   
      
   Yet the smaller chain routinely outperforms competitors in customer   
   loyalty.   
      
   A Nation’s Restaurant News survey ranked In-N-Out No. 1 in “True Loyalty,”   
   with 63% of customers saying they chose it because of the brand itself   
   rather than convenience, with 70% rating its service “best in class.”   
      
   The devotion isn’t just local.   
      
   Yelp’s 2025 rankings named In-N-Out America’s favorite burger chain based   
   on more than 120,000 reviews — ahead of national heavyweights.   
      
   The chain consistently scores at or near the top in surveys measuring   
   freshness, taste and food quality. Angelenos seem to confirm the data.   
      
   Ulises España, 26, of Los Angeles, said he’s been eating In-N-Out “since I   
   was like six years old” and now goes “maybe twice a week.”   
      
   “It’s a simple burger that you can get for relatively good price, and I   
   think that’s what keeps me coming back over here,” España said.   
      
   He said competitors’ burgers are ”too small for the prices the charge” and   
   says In-N-Out has the ”best bang for your buck.”   
      
   That value claim has a real number behind it. Local reporting pegged a   
   Double-Double meal — burger, fries and a drink — at $10.45 before tax in   
   California, and $11.44 after tax in Los Angeles County.   
      
   A classic Big Mac Meal comes in at $12.38 after tax, but can cost up to   
   $14, depending on the location.   
      
   Even with California’s higher-cost environment, In-N-Out’s price point   
   stays close enough to fast-food norms to keep the “worth it” math working   
   for loyal customers.   
      
   Would España ever walk away?   
      
   “There’s no reason for me to switch it up or not come here.”   
      
   Kristen Lawson, 20, of Inglewood, said she’s been eating there “since I   
   was born… so I was raised on In-N-Out”. Her entire family are fans.   
      
   “I’m loyal to In-N-Out because it’s more of a healthier option and… I like   
   the quality of the food better than other places,” she said, also pointing   
   out the chain was “reasonably priced.”   
      
   For Sheena, who was also visiting the Culver City restaurant, the draw is   
   straightforward.   
      
   “I like the ingredients are simple on my burger,” she said.   
      
   “I just like lettuce, tomato and onion… I always get the animal style   
   fries. So that’s just been my go-to order.”   
      
   ”This is like our family spot. The price is good… you get fries and a   
   drink and a burger. So we’re not looking for anything more.”   
      
   That restraint — a tight menu, familiar flavors, modest pricing —   
   underpins the chain’s staying power.   
      
   Ravi Sawhney, founder and CEO of RKS Design and a Southern California   
   native, said the company’s pull stretches beyond what’s inside the   
   wrapper.   
      
   “It is definitely a California cultural experience,” Sawhney said.   
      
   The brand also sells a tightly controlled production model. The company’s   
   own store messaging emphasizes “only the freshest ingredients,” and says   
   it uses no heat lamps, freezers or microwaves — choices that make the   
   operation feel more “made to order,” but also keep production disciplined.   
      
   That same control has helped shape the chain’s limited footprint and   
   consistency.   
      
   Industry reporting has described a distribution approach built around   
   keeping restaurants within a day’s drive of production so food can move   
   quickly and stay fresh.   
      
   Sawhney argued the brand’s business model taps into car culture and   
   nostalgia that national rivals can’t duplicate.   
      
   “You get a bit of that nostalgic car culture,” he said, recalling cruising   
   Van Nuys Boulevard in his youth. Standing in queue becomes part of the   
   ritual.   
      
   “You basically are put on what I call a micro-hero’s journey.”   
      
   Unlike McDonald’s, which he described as focused on “consistency and   
   speed,” In-N-Out delivers something more layered.   
      
   The extended queue only sharpens that contrast.   
      
   “It takes longer to get a burger, shake, and fries from In-N-Out than it   
   does from McDonald’s,” he said. “And the quality is definitely better.”   
      
   The streamlined offerings reinforce the message, he added.   
      
   “They’ve got a limited menu, which conveys that we just do these things   
   and we do them well, and we perfected them, and we do them consistently.”   
      
   To him, the moment feels intimate.   
      
   “It almost feels like your mom made it for you and your friends,” Sawhney   
   said. “There’s a lot going on within that burger.”   
      
   While the chain doesn’t publicly break out local sales, national estimates   
   show it generating outsized revenue for its size.   
      
   Privately held In-N-Out generated an estimated $1.8 billion in sales in   
   2022 and roughly $2.1 billion in 2023, despite operating only about 400   
   locations nationwide.   
      
   The company has deliberately limited expansion to eight states and refuses   
   to franchise or go public — a controlled, family-owned model that analysts   
   say has helped preserve its cult status.   
      
   Back in Culver City, the cars inch ahead.   
      
   Devante said only one thing could shake his devotion.   
      
   “Only if I found out like some crazy ingredient was in there… that would   
   take me out,” he said. “Yeah, no.”   
      
      
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