Growing up in Texas, I’ve always enjoyed a good burger. As a kid in the 1980s we would enjoy Whataburger, Wendy’s, McDonald’s, or Burger King.
In Seattle, we enjoyed seafood rather than finding a burger joint.
In 1998, after moving to Los Angeles, everything changed when I first enjoyed a burger from In-N-Out, especially when I discovered their not-so secret menu. My absolute favorite is the cheeseburger animal style (mustard cooked beef patty with grilled onions and extra spread)!
In-N-Out Preferred Customer
Yesterday, In-N-Out opened their first store in South Austin walking distance from my house!!
I got up at 6:30am to get in line. I was the first person there and the only person in line for the dining room. (Another guy had arrived at midnight to be first in the drive through line). As a result, they let me and Deborah in at 8:30am and awarded us with silver burger coins, free t-shirts, and free combo meals! They interviewed us on camera and gave us high fives!
When we returned to Texas from living in Los Angeles, we have certainly have missed our Mosaic family, the Dodgers games, the Clippers games, but now we live closer to extended family, love our Gateway family and live closer to L.A. Fitness, Trader Joe’s, and now In-N-Out than we did when we lived there!
“Keep Austin Weird” Resistance
In Austin, we definitely value uniqueness over conformity, and I love that! We love to celebrate diversity, artistry, music, outdoor recreation, and good food.
The phrase “Keep Austin Weird” actually originated as a slogan to encourage Austinites to shop locally and eat locally. As a result, chains from out of town are not well received. Up and down South Lamar in South Austin, we have seen restaurants like Fuddruckers, Golden Corral, Boardwalk Burgers, Wendy’s, Taco Cabana, Outback Steakhouse, and even Chili’s go out of business.
Instead, we like chains that originated in Austin like Torchy’s Tacos, Gourdoughs, East Side King, Pluckers, Chuy’s, and Kerbey Lane Cafe.
As a result of the anti-Californication and anti-chains sentiment, someone tagged the new In-N-Out in South Austin with “Go Back to Cali.”
In-N-Out and South Austin – A Perfect Match
For anyone in South Austin, uncertain of the presence of In-N-Out, here’s ten reasons their move to South Austin is a great thing:
- In-N-Out is still a family-owned business. These are not franchises.
- The food is fresh and never frozen. You can taste the delicious quality of the ingredients.
- The prices are extremely affordable.
- The location is just North of Ben White Blvd on South Lamar – so convenient for those heading from downtown to Circle C, Dripping Springs, Travis Country, deep South Austin, or Buda.
- You can still enjoy P. Terry’s, Hopdoddy, Dan’s, Whataburger, Phil’s Ice House and other good Austin burger joints! I know we will! (P. Terry’s has the best veggie burger and best fries of all of them).
- A stop at In-N-Out in South Austin is cheaper than flying to California. They even have palm trees in the parking lot!
- In-N-Out was the first drive thru burger joint on the planet – opening in 1948.
- In-N-Out has John 3:16 on the bottom of their cups.
- In-N-Out has an amazing Neopolitan milkshake!
- Texans are a welcoming bunch! At our best, we demonstrate southern hospitality to our guests – even Californians!
