I finally made it out to the new In-N-Out — not sure exactly when it opened, but it’s been a few weeks. They’ve still got traffic cones blocking off part of the street, a security guard directing drive-through traffic, and it’s still pretty crowded inside. No line out the door anymore, though the stanchions and fabric channelways are still set up out front, so it clearly had that energy not too long ago.
I ordered a Double-Double, fries, and a strawberry shake — figured that was a good trio for a first visit. Got ticket number 14. While I waited I heard them call 82, 83, 90, 84, 85 — no rhyme or reason to the order, but I liked that they don’t bother padding the numbers with letters or extra digits. They’re confident they’ll get to you before it gets confusing. They’re not running 100 people deep. Says something about how they’ve got their turnover dialed in.
My number came up eventually. Burger and fries were ready, but the shake needed another 30 seconds or so. I grabbed a seat and started eating — didn’t grab any ketchup packets, which I’d normally do for dipping, but the place felt a little too chaotic to bother asking. Broke my own rule of eating fries first (Taco Bell: hard shell first, McDonald’s: fries before they go cold) because the burger looked too good to wait. And it was good. Didn’t even miss the ketchup, which is saying something.
The fries were bare-bones — just a packet of salt on the side, add it or don’t. I salted them up and ate the whole batch, no ketchup, no complaints.
The shake was the one letdown. A little too sweet for my taste. I know enough about the relationship between temperature and sugar perception from making my own ice cream — my guess is it wasn’t cold enough, maybe from too much liquid in the mix or from sitting out a bit too long, and that threw off the balance. Still drank all of it.
The whole place is decked out in classic red-and-white retro diner style, with artwork all over the walls. Staff outfits were a nice touch — the guys wear those little paper envelope-style hats, the women wear ball caps. Good food-safety call keeping hair up either way, though I did wonder if there’s ever been any pushback over the gendered uniform split. Also noticed the aprons are tied off with an oversized safety pin — three inches, easy — which felt like a deliberate retro costume choice rather than a functional necessity, and I thought it was a nice detail.
They had T-shirts for sale too. Didn’t buy one, but there was a design I liked — a Corvette driving under a sign that says “Entering Portland,” playing into the fact that this location is brand new to the area. $20 though, so maybe next time.
Prices were genuinely reasonable. You can’t walk out of Five Guys with a burger, fries, and a shake for under $15 — this was $11.30, and it was a double patty burger. No bacon, no mushrooms, no signs they’re chasing any menu trend anytime soon. Turns out I didn’t need any of that. It was just a very good burger.
Next time: animal style.