The fast food chain In-N-Out burger is beloved by many native Californians. “It’s more than just a burger place,” says Stacy Perman, author of the 2010 book In-N-Out Burger. “People have a really personal relationship with In-N-Out.” Perman herself grew up in Los Angeles, hooked by the allure of a burger that likely tastes the same today as it did when the chain opened its first restaurant in 1948.
But nostalgia is just one part of the chain’s lasting appeal. Though In-N-Out invented the drive-thru restaurant and two-way speaker system that allowed customers to order without ever leaving their cars, it’s best known for its secret menu — customer-created riffs on the posted offerings, passed down through word of mouth since the 1960s. The appeal of the secret menu sits in a delicate place for restaurants. If a chain promotes them, at best, customers no longer feel like they’re in on a secret. Worst-case scenario? Customers feel as if they’re the target of yet-another PR campaign by a major corporation.