Blog
05.11
HCK2 Gets All Over In-N-Out Burger
Today, five of the bravest souls at HCK2 (and our Leigha Burns [second from right and still not on our website yet]) piled into the car at the early lunch hour of 11 a.m. in an hurry to experience something brand new to Texas: In-N-Out Burger.
Here's her report of the carnivore hysteria:
We read the news reports on fans who camped overnight, saw photos of the long lines and heard our co-workers’ warnings.
So what?
The first-ever In-N-Out Burger store opening outside of the West Coast would surely be an event to behold. And, obsessed with all things pop culture, I couldn’t miss this, so I led the charge.
As we exited the tollway on our way to the Frisco location – one of two now open in Dallas-Ft. Worth – we quickly realized our co-workers were right. Employees in their famous white paper hats were directing the hundreds of people hoping to get their hands on a double-double.
After more than two hours passed, the wait time was more than we bargained. And coupled with the pressing need to return to our overflowing inboxes, we ditched the original plan and headed to another nearby burger joint to satisfy our cravings for cheesy goodness.
We saw all we needed to see, took the picture, completed our Facebook check-ins and still got a burger.
However, we still left with a big question mark hovering over our heads: How did all this buzz get to Dallas?
The secret is, well, we don’t fully know what it is. And that’s the point.
In-N-Out is a private, family-owned company that boasts a secret sauce and a secret menu (Animal style, anyone?), a campus training headquarters with tight-lipped tenured employees, and closely-guarded production practices. We think Oprah runs the place, but we're not sure.
Perhaps former CFO Steve Tanner sums the In-N-Out philosophy best: “If you have to tell somebody you’re something, you’re probably not.”
In line with everything else it does, In-N-Out keeps its advertising to a bare minimum as well, choosing to stay away from those large-scale ad campaigns that its competitors favor (McDonalds, I’m looking at you). Instead, it relies on a cult-like following and a brand loyalty like no other fast food chain has seen.
This doesn’t mean there’s no strategy behind the craze.
Strategically placed locations, handy pocket maps of stores, bumper stickers, T-shirts, billboards and the yellow boomerang arrow serve as carefully planned marketing tactics. Add to that the bonus factor of unpaid celebrity endorsements (Julia Childs! Phil Mickelson! Sammy Hagar!), and you have a large portion of the special recipe that is In-N-Out’s success.
While this plan won’t work for all companies, there’s one thing anyone can take from the popular restaurant: the real key to success remains that In-N-Out is simply different.
We didn't get our chance to taste that difference today, but we will happen sometime soon. And I’ll order a secret off-the-menu item and smirk, believing I’m in on the secret.
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