Dining Spotlight
Secret, what secret? A peek behind the In-N-Out menu
By Toni Woodard
In August, the Southern California burger chain In-N-Out opened its first location in Washington state. You may have heard about it — it was a Really Big Deal.
I’ve been a fan of In-N-Out since 1990, when my then-boyfriend, now-husband, introduced me to its deceptively simple menu of burgers, fries, milkshakes and soft drinks. The Ridgefield location is the first time we've lived less than an hour’s drive from our favorite fast-food spot. We’ve been celebrating with more visits than I can count.
In-N-Out prides itself on freshness, stellar customer service and reasonable prices. While the burgers may not be the best you have ever had (although for a fast-food burger, it’s hard to beat), you will get a quality made-to-order meal, served with friendliness, that won’t leave you muttering about inflation rates.
The posted In-N-Out menu lists just a handful of choices, but many people know there is a “not so secret menu” that lurks behind. Beyond the hamburger ($3.55), cheeseburger ($4), Double-Double (two meat patties and two slices of American cheese for $5.70), and fries ($2.25), you can ask for a plethora of customizations, most at no extra charge.
If you don’t make any changes, your In-N-Out burger will come with fresh lettuce (a lot of lettuce), a hearty slice of tomato chosen specifically to approximate the size of the meat patty, a choice of grilled or sliced onions and a special sauce that is very similar to Thousand Island dressing.
Your burger will be housed between two lightly toasted, fresh, spongy buns. Additional ingredients you can add for free include pickles, ketchup, mustard and chopped chilis (yellow cascabella peppers that are small and tangy, and pack a spicier punch than any pepper I’ve found at a fast-food place).
4x4 goes far
You can order as many meat patties and cheese slices as you want. For example, a 4x4 is a lot of food: four meat patties and four cheese slices that will cost you close to $10. The lightly seasoned 100% American beef patties are 2 ounces each before they are cooked, slightly bigger than a single patty at the Golden Arches.
A Double-Double is a quarter-pound of hamburger meat and filling enough for me that I eat lightly for the rest of the day. I shall never experience a 4x4.
The Protein Style burger ditches the carby, gluten-filled buns for a burger wrapped in lettuce, at no extra cost. The oddly named Flying Dutchman is another gluten-free option at no extra charge, featuring just two meat patties and two melted slices of cheese. You can order it onion-wrapped: thick slices of cooked onions on the top and bottom that serve as buns. It is quite messy to eat, typically requiring a knife and fork (ask at the counter).
The one time I tried the Flying Dutchman, I ordered a side of pickle slices. I placed the pickles on the top and bottom of my bunless burger and used them as cold places to rest my fingers and thumbs while eating my hot burger without utensils. It worked well! But it was still a hot mess to eat.
Vegetarians can order a grilled cheese sandwich, which comes with all the standard ingredients except the meat patties ($3.45), but feel free to customize that, too. For instance, I have been contemplating ordering a grilled cheese with just buns, cheese and chopped chilis.
Fries, fries, fries
Not wanting to be left out, the fries also have some unlisted options. You can order Cheese Fries, fries with melted American cheese on top ($4.55). Animal Style Fries supplement melted cheese with caramelized onions and a generous heap of the special Thousand Island-like sauce ($4.55). I love the fries topped with chopped chilis (no extra cost, so $2.25), which I then augment with pepper juice from the stash of whole peppers next to the ketchup dispensers. Mmmm, tangy, vinegary, spicy fries!
In-N-Out fries are unique in the fast-food world. They are made from the same type of potatoes that potato chips are made from, which gives the fries a denser texture. They also cook a bit differently.
I find In-N-Out fries to be a little limp and wimpy if ordered without customization. The fries transform if you ask for them to be cooked longer (Lite Well, Well, or Extra Well). I prefer my In-N-Out fries cooked Lite Well, which adds a little more structure and firmness. Regardless, super fans of In-N-Out know that the fries are not great if they get cold, so dig in early. In fact, my husband eats his fries before he moves onto his Double-Double.
Drinks include standard Coke fountain beverages that you serve yourself if dining inside ($2.10-$2.65 depending on size). Pink lemonade and a sugar-free option are also available. I like to mix the lemonade with 7-Up (called a Lemon Up if you’re ordering in the drive-through).
Milkshake flavors are the standard chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla ($2.95). Feel free to customize here, too, with a Neapolitan (all three flavors mixed together), or my favorite, Chocolate Strawberry (two flavors mixed). Coffee ($1.35) and Ghirardelli hot chocolate ($2.25) are also available. On rainy or snowy days, hot chocolate is offered free to kids 12 or younger when accompanied by an adult.
The go-to guy
If you choose to forgo the drive-through, there are a number of outside tables scattered around and in the back of the Ridgefield store. Inside, there is hard-plastic, easily cleaned seating for about 75 customers.
If ordering inside, finding a seat can look daunting on busy days. Amazingly, in over 35 years of eating at In-N-Out, I have never been left standing with my tray of food and no table to sit at. Key to that is nonchalantly lurking near tables that look like they are close to finishing their meals. Or, in Ridgefield, look for Bob.
Bob is an extraordinarily helpful In-N-Out employee who works in the dining room during the week until about dinnertime. Instead of enjoying a work-free retirement, Bob chooses to hang out in his white uniform and red apron, helping customers have a great day. He can help you find a table, fetch your order, gather more ketchup or napkins and offer free hats and stickers to kids and kids-at-heart.
According to Bob, the best times to visit In-N-Out to avoid crowds and the need to table lurk are Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from opening until about noon. Burgers for breakfast? Not as weird as it sounds!
Search “In-N-Out secret menu” online for all sorts of other possibilities I don’t have space to mention. Also, there is a fun and helpful Facebook group dedicated to the Ridgefield In-N-Out location. Once you join the group, you can view photos of menu items, get customization ideas and ask about the current wait time — both for the drive-through and dining inside.
A second Clark County In-N-Out is under construction in east Vancouver on Southeast Mill Plain Boulevard. When it opens early next year, wait times at the Ridgefield are expected to shorten. We will see!
In-N-Out Burger
5801 N. Pioneer Canyon Drive, Ridgefield
800-786-1000
10:30 a.m.-1 a.m. Sunday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday
Facebook.com/groups/736548098623845 or search “Ridgefield In N Out” on Facebook
Toni Woodard is enthusiastic about food, fairs, llamas and writing. She is the author of “I’m Fine: A Practical Guide to Life with Chronic Pain.” Contact her at toniisfine@outlook.com.
