It’s safe to assume this won’t be coming to CA.
“Consumers continue to be even more discriminating with every dollar that they spend as they faced elevated prices in their day-to-day spending, which is putting pressure on the [quick-service restaurant] industry,”
We also pay for the Cinemark membership, feel that it’s well worth it. Unfortunately we don’t see enough movies to hit platinum. It’s nice to be able to pick out your seats for free and get all those free/discounted tickets. Definitely money saving of the theatre is convenient for you. Going to a movie is not expensive for us at all.
A cheeseburger and fries is about $5 at In N Out. So if McDonalds wants to stay competitive with a better burger place, from what I’m told (I don’t eat that, er, stuff), then they’ll offer $5 meal deals here.
It’s a different marketing strategy. In and Out does higher volume, with what I presume are narrower margins on burgers (not side items, including fries and drink). In and Out also doesn’t have an app, special deals, or online ordering. Instead they have a limited menu that is centered around burgers, and has relatively low prices on those burgers. This relates to the long lines you mentioned earlier the thread. In my area, In and Out seems to have larger sales volume during operating hours than McDonalds or any other fast food location I am aware of.
In contrast, McDonalds menu is far less limited. They have a few dozen different types of burger or meal options, as well as a different menu for breakfast and lunch/dinner. They have an app that gives rewards and discounts on specific menu items. And they regularly offer deals along the lines of the $5 “value” mentioned above. McDonalds may not have as much volume as In and Out in my area, but I expect they have a higher margin on the burgers they do sell, most of which are probably not purchased via special deals.
For example, looking online my area McDondalds is currently featuring a Bacon Cajun Ranch Deluxe Mcrisply for $8. This special menu item is probably is only available for “a limited time”. You’ll never see that kind of thing at In and Out. Instead In and Out gives you the choice of either a hamburger or a cheeseburger (or double variation). If someone in your family doesn’t like hamburgers/cheeseburgers, then you probably are not going to choose In and Out. The prices of both hamburger and cheeseburger at In and Out are substantially less than the limited time McDonalds bacon cajun ranch deluxe mcrispy.
Customers consistently rate In and Out as higher quality. In my area, the nearest In and Out is rated 4.2/5 on Yelp, while the nearest McDonald’s is 2.0/5 on Yelp. Nevertheless, McDonald’s has a much higher reported profit margin % than In and Out and is a much larger company. McDonald’s is by far the largest market cap restaurant chain in the world.
And that, in itself, is a comment on our collective culinary tastes.
Our local In N Out:
Cheeseburger $2.95
Coke $1.70
Fries $1.90
Total = $6.55
The greater point is that McDonalds and In N Out compete against each other for the burger crowd.
And honestly I don’t give a rat’s behind because it’s all undesirable.
@Data10 seemed to cover that pretty well a few posts ago.
I personally enjoyed the $5.00 bowls from El Pollo Loco much more than the burger and fries from In and Out.
We’re all entitled to our opinions on burgers or otherwise.
Obviously, that’s why I shared. Thanks for the acknowledgement.
The different fast food restaurants compete with each other, but it’s not as simple a relationship as if burgers + fries costs $5 and In-N-Out, then McDonald’s must offer a $5 value meal. In-N-Out has offered a better sticker price value on burgers for years, yet many other fast food chains remain successful. There are other means to differentiate from one another besides just the price of burger + fries. These include things like:
- Location
- Speed of service
- Quality of food
- Different menu offerings
- Special deals/discounts
- Special promotions (McDonald’s Monopoly)
- Targeting kids (Happy Meal, play area)
- Delivery / App ordering
- Marketing / Advertisements
- Themes / atmosphere /cleanliness
- Service quality
I don’t have fast food often – primarily during/after a full day of hiking. After burning thousands of calories hiking, I have a voracious appetite and want food quickly. I have my dog with me, which can make sit down restaurants awkward. Fast food fits the bill well. I believe In-N-Out offers a higher quality burger than nearly any other fast food chain and offers a good value; yet I almost never get In-N-Out.
Reasons include In-N-Out has fewer locations in my region, so less likely to be near remote areas where I hike. When In-N-Out is available, there is often a huge line of cars, and no app pre-ordering. I want food fast. I don’t want to spend a half hour waiting in a line of cars. While In-N-Out has in my opinion the highest quality standard hamburger, there are other fast foods I enjoy more. There are also often similar or better values elsewhere if you use coupons/deals, rather than pay sticker.
For example, the fast food chain I choose most often is Subway. Subway has millions of different customization combinations of breads, meats, cheeses, vegetables, … which leads to a sandwich that is better customized to unique tastes; so I prefer the taste to a standard In-N-Out burger. Subway’s sticker prices are a far worse value than In-N-Out, up to a max of $18 for a Subway series foot long in my area. However, Subway offers deals that allow purchasing at a small fraction of sticker prices, making value competitive with In-N-Out. Subway and other non-In-N-Out changes effectively offer a sliding scale of prices for customers who are more/less concerned about value, via deals/coupons. I can get a foot long Subway series sub for $7 (coupon code) * $50/$75 (gift card) = $4.67 . I can pre-order on app or website, then pick up my Subway order seconds, rather than wait in a line for a half hour.
Regarding burgers, In-N-Out hamburger/cheeseburger is in my opinion superior to almost any other fast food restaurant’s default hamburger/cheeseburger. However, I don’t order the default hamburger/cheeseburger at other non-In-N-Out locations. I instead order burgers that are not sold at In-N-Out. For example, the last time I stopped for a fast food burger+friies after hiking, I chose a Carl’s Jr limited edition (not currently available) Sourdough Star. This is one of the few Carl’s Jr burgers I prefer to In-N-Out hamburger/cheeseburger. I paid $5 (app deal) * $37.50/$75 (gift card) = $2.50. I got fries at the BK across the street for 25 cents (app deal); so net cost of $2.75 for burger and fries, before tax.
From where I live the nearest In N Out appears to be 26 hours away. McDonald’s is definitely cheaper for me to patronize.
Hamburger eaters think In N Out is “the bomb.” Next time you find yourself on a trip where one is nearby, and assuming you eat hamburgers, then you should definitely try one.
I don’t eat hamburger (any ground beef), so I can’t comment on which one is best.
My D is feeling it all too. She literally just texted this:
$14.89 for FOUR rolls of Target brand paper towels?!? They’re not even the make a size ones - I got Bounty. At least they had 6 mega rolls for $18 - “At least”
Seriously the younger generation is feeling this - probably as much as those of us. Maybe more.
I purchased a cake this weekend from a family owned bakery that we have been using for special events regularly for the past 5 years. And I realized the price hasn’t gone up at all! Inflation is being driven by greed. It was a great cake. I would even have tipped for it given how good it is and how much I appreciate them not raising prices!
Ours are 6 for $12 at Target. Still a lot for paper towels.
A quarter of a watermelon was $8.99 at my local chain supermarket - those are normally $3.99 at the same store. So I did not buy.
My college kid is majoring in Food Science (and related minors), and interning at a globally-recognized food and drink brand this summer.
People will eat their snacks and drink their drinks - we found this out during the pandemic. They might not go out to eat, but many will still get their treats. But it’s like the story of the frog in boiling water. If you raise it here and there slowly, no one will notice. If chips are all of a sudden $8 a bag, people will notice.
I will be curious what, if anything, she shares with me