Hamburger America

by George Motz

  Putting a fast food burger with over 250 locations in this book does not really seem like my style. But think of it this way—had McDonald’s, White Castle, Burger King, and many others stayed true to their roots, they’d be here too. Their rich histories and their place in the fabric of American food are just as amazing, but at some point they all lost their way. Not In-N-Out. One of the most successful privately-owned burger chains also just happens to make one of the best fresh-beef burgers in the nation.

  Harry and Esther Snyder opened the first In-N-Out in Baldwin Park, California in 1948. It was a simple shoebox of a kitchen with drive-up windows on each side. Harry installed 2-way speakers at the ends of each driveway and in doing so revolutionized the business of fast food forever with the first drive-thru. His thinking was that while one order was being filled, the next was being placed. Brilliant.

  Over the next 50 years In-N-Out expanded at a very slow and calculated rate. All through the ’60s and ’70s, the business of selling fast food burgers was in constant flux. Think of the temptation there must have been for In-N-Out to franchise, automate, and sell out. Many of the large chains were expanding at alarming rates, taking their companies public, and switching to a franchise system to sell more burgers to more people. As these places grew, the quality of the fast food burger slowly eroded. Most chains resorted to freezing their patties and shipping them over long distances—whatever it took to make more money and please more shareholders. It’s absolutely mindboggling that Harry and Esther Snyder were persistent in their vision for In-N-Out.

  When Harry passed away the future of In-N-Out was secure, thanks to an agreement that only blood relation could run the company. His youngest son Rich took the helm and managed to expand the company greatly without moving away from his parent’s core values. Before he died, Harry had expanded the chain to 18 locations limited to Southern California. Before Rich died in 1993, he had expanded the empire to almost 100 stores and today there are over 250 locations in 4 states (with Texas on the horizon). Part of In-N-Out’s reluctance to expand nationwide is based on the simple fear that it would dilute the product and ruin the brand. Sound familiar?

  The “Double-Double” is the cornerstone of In-N-Out’s success. Made from two patties of unfrozen, fresh ground beef, iceberg lettuce, a slice of tomato, a thousand island-type spread, and two slices of American cheese, on a toasted bun and wrapped in waxed paper, the Double-Double is the perfect burger for one-handed driving. In-N-Out declined to tell me the size of the patties, but they seem to be around 2.5 ounces each. They are cooked on specially designed flattop griddles. The fries at In-N-Out start as fresh potatoes that are sent through a French fry cutter as the orders come in. And the shakes, the only thing frozen in the entire restaurant, are excellent. The real winner here, though, is the “Double-Double Animal Style” from In-N-Out’s fan-created “secret menu” (see page 27). I have yet to find its equal in the world of fast food hamburgers.

  How many times have you seen a McDonald’s in a bad area with broken signs and missing light bulbs? You’ll never find one single thing out of place at ANY of the In-N-Out stores, ever. The constant upkeep makes each In-N-Out look like new. Management at In-N-Out maintains the company’s pristine appearance by doing what most companies should do—they treat their employees, or “associates” as they are referred to at In-N-Out, very well. Incentive programs that have been in place for decades are designed to make the well-compensated people who work at In-N-Out very happy and it shows.

  One of the more intriguing aspects to the privately owned burger chain is the often talked about use of hidden Bible passages on the company’s packaging. Next time you visit an In-N-Out, flip over your drink cup or spread out the paper that your burger was wrapped in. You’ll find a chapter heading to a passage in the Bible (i.e., under the milkshake cup the reference to John 3:16, “For God so loved the world . . . ,” is printed). Can you imagine being a public company and doing this? The company’s bible-thumping campaign was put in place by former In-N-Out president and son of Harry, Rich Snyder. Just before he died in an awful plane crash, Rich found God and thought everyone else should too. He believed that the popularity of the hamburger was a great way to spread his faith. The use of the semi-hidden passages did little to scare off customers and actually did more to solidify In-N-Out’s cult status among its fans. Most of the restaurants in the chain are landscaped with two very tall palm trees that have been planted crossing each other to form an X, further fueling the In-N-Out mystique. In reality, Harry was a big fan of the film It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, where the final scene involves crossed palms.

  Although In-N-Out continues to expand, the core beliefs passed down through the family members over the decades have kept this hamburger phenomenon a mom-and-pop at heart. Hidden bible verses, crossed palm trees, happy grill cooks, and consistently tasty burgers are what the In-N-Out experience is all about. What more could you want from a burger joint?

  AN ANIMAL STYLE EPIPHANY AT IN-N-OUT

  For years I have made the Double-Double my default order at In-N-Out Burger, the left coast’s favorite drive-thru. It’s a pretty straightforward burger, two thin patties made from fresh-ground beef on a toasted, white squishy bun served with two slices of American cheese, crisp iceberg lettuce, tomato, and a dollop of Thousand Island dressing. It is presented California-style, wrapped in wax paper, to facilitate one-handed driving.

  I could take or leave the Double-Double. There are many other small mom-and-pops in LA and its environs that make a better burger. But this all changed the day I strayed from In-N-Out’s modest 5-item menu. That was the day I ate my first Double-Double Animal Style.

  Among burger cognoscenti, In-N-Out’s secret menu is really no secret. Depending on who you ask, this word-of-mouth menu can add up to 30 additional items to the printed menu. In-N-Out “associates” (employees) are trained to know all of the secret menu items. Ask for a Neapolitan Shake, and you’ll get strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate swirled together. Want a burger with the bun replaced by lettuce? You’ll need to ask for yours “Protein Style.”

  I’d been aware of the Double-Double Animal Style for years but had never ordered one. I think I was afraid that a secret menu didn’t really exist, that I’d get up to the register and be laughed at for ordering off a rumored menu. I imagined the chuckle of nearby patrons pegging me as a tourist. Eventually, when I overheard others ordering theirs Animal Style, I imagined a burger that was at best an unruly pile of ingredients, too much to handle, something only an animal could consume. It had to be a burger that would most certainly result in instant gastric distress.

  Truth is the Double-Double Animal Style is none of this. The cult favorite is a perfectly balanced burger. To a standard Double-Double add grilled onions, extra sauce, and pickles. That’s it, but these small additions create a gooey taste explosion. I had heard a rumor once that the burger is also cooked in mustard and after a quick call to In-N-Out headquarters found this to be true. “The patty is spread with mustard as it cooks on the griddle,” a very friendly In-N-Out associate told me.

  The Double-Double Animal Style should be a standard menu item at In-N-Out, though I’d hate to lose the thrill of asking for a burger that places the customer in a secret club. For those in the know there is no equal.

  IRV’S BURGER

  8289 SANTA MONICA BLVD

  WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA 90046

  323-650-2456 | MON–SAT 8 AM–7 PM

  CLOSED SUNDAY

  Irv’s was saved, thank God, and Sonia Hong was responsible. When I found a worn leather stool at the ramshackle burger spot 10 feet from the traffic on Santa Monica Boulevard, my first impression was that Sonia was not an Irv. “I am NEW Irv,” she said and let out a chuckle.

  Korean-Americans Sonia and her brother Sean bought the business, with every penny they had, in 2000 from Irving Gendis, who had flipped burgers there from 1978 to 2000. Before it was Irv’s, the tiny stand on old Route 66 opened as Queen’s Burgers in
1948. Typical of post–World War II burger ventures along the “Mother Road,” Irv’s remains as an icon of a quickly vanishing component of the early automobile age in Southern California. Over the decades, many Hollywood stars and musicians became regulars, including Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin, cementing the popularity of this burger destination. Irv’s also made a great backdrop for the inner sleeve of Linda Ronstadt’s Living in the USA. Open the record album and you’ll see a nighttime snapshot, two feet wide, taken in 1978 at Irv’s, with Linda and her band posing.

  Linda grabs a bag of chips at Irv’s in 1978.

  The most significant event in Irv’s nearly 60 years in operation was a day in 2005 when Starbuck’s West Coast nemesis Peet’s Coffee tried to push Sonia off her little slice of prime real estate in West Hollywood. The regulars were appalled, the neighborhood was empowered, and cute little Sonia was not going down without a fight. The locals petitioned Peet’s. “We were on the news and received thousands of letters,” Sonia told me. The mission to save Irv’s became a public issue. Sonia set up multiple meetings at city hall, and after a year of fighting, Los Angeles County declared Irv’s a historical monument.

  The burger at Irv’s is a California classic: tucked into waxed paper, on a soft, toasted white bun, and served on a paper plate. A wad of fresh ground beef is slapped on the tiny griddle and smashed HARD with a bacon weight once. Somehow Sonia, or whoever is at the grill, manages to whack the ball of meat with just the right amount of force to create the perfect-sized patty.

  Usually three people are hard at work at Irv’s, including Mama, Sonia’s mother. In all of the craziness that goes on inside the little shack Sonia still has time to write personalized messages on everyone’s paper plate. On my last visit she drew, down to the color, the shirt I was wearing and included the message, “Just for George.” She positions the burger on the plate so that both the burger and the art can be admired simultaneously. I believe the shirt drawings are her way of matching the burger to the customer—one of the more unique methods of order management.

  Opt for a double with cheese because a single thin patty will not sate your appetite. Available condiments are the standard lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle. Mayo, ketchup, and mustard are also available, and the menu lists a burger that comes with “special sauce.” When I asked Sonia what the sauce was, she replied, without pause, “Love! Love is the special sauce.”

  The next time you visit Irv’s, meet Sonia and Mama and feel proud to be an American. Eat your waxed paper–wrapped burger, take in the vibe of old Route 66, and remember the fight that saved this tiny burger spot from the wrecking ball—each bite will taste that much better.

  JIM-DENNY’S

  816 12TH ST | SACRAMENTO, CA 95814

  916-443-9655 | WWW.JIM-DENNYS.COM

  TUES–SAT 7 AM–3 PM CLOSED SUN & MON

  For its first 40 years Jim-Denny’s was never closed. From 1934 to the late ’70s the tiny ten-stool hamburger stand in downtown Sacramento was open 24 hours. Most of those odd late night/early morning hours fed bus drivers from the Trailways depot just across the parking lot and late-night revelers at the long-gone dance hall across the street. The bus depot is no longer active and the restaurant’s hours have been reduced, but Jim-Denny’s survives thanks to its fourth owner and chef, Patsy Lane. “We call these the ten hottest seats in town,” Patsy said referring to the cramped but cozy seating in the burger stand she bought with her daughter and son-in-law in 2005. Upon taking the helm at Jim-Denny’s the first order of business was removing decades of grease and grime that had almost rendered the place unusable. “The ceiling had almost caved in, it was caked with so much grease. If you put your hand on the wall it would just stick there!” Patsy told me as she flipped my burger.

  Regardless of the rebuild and deep cleansing that the restaurant went through, Patsy still serves beautifully greasy griddled burgers that are slightly larger than those that Jim Van Nort and subsequent owners served for the first 70 years. And with the exception of new curtains on the windows, everything else is pretty much the same. The wooden candy and cigarette shelves behind the counter labeled with features of the old menu (Fancy Cheeseburgers and a Fancy Cube Steak Sandwich for 25 cents) remain intact. The original red leather swivel stools are still anchored at their spots facing the worn Formica counter. The griddle continues to occupy the same spot just inside the front window.

  Jim and a friend Denny started Jim-Denny’s just before World War II. After the war, Jim and Denny parted ways and Jim opened a new restaurant with the same name around the corner. That location (also known as #2) is the only one that remains, and thanks to the efforts of Jim in 1988, this classic American burger stand has been designated a historic landmark by the city of Sacramento.

  “We use the same butcher for fresh ground beef that Jim used since the early days,” Patsy pointed out. The burgers come in two sizes—a smaller three-ounce patty and a larger six-ounce. Both arrive at Jim-Denny’s daily as fresh, preformed patties.

  The burger menu is extensive. You can order a Megaburger (two half-pound patties), a Superburger (one half-pound patty), or the Five Cent Burger, the original price for the quarter-pound burger. Each is served on locally made fluffy white rolls with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, mayo, and mustard standard.

  A tradition that disappeared with Jim along with his “my way or no way” attitude was one of the restaurant’s most endearing qualities—if you sat at the last seat at the counter you had to answer the phone and take the orders. The rule was created based on the seat’s proximity to the phone. Fortunately for lovers of tradition like myself, I was glad to see that Jim’s original note to diners at the seat remains, right next to the nonfunctioning pay phone. “If you sit near the phone you must answer it. Take the order, or ask them to hold.” This was followed by sample greetings: “Jim-Denny’s may I help you?” or “Jim-Denny’s, please hold.”

  JOE’S CABLE CAR RESTAURANT

  4320 MISSION ST | SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112

  415-334-6699 | WWW.JOESCABLECAR.COM

  OPEN DAILY 11 AM–11 PM

  The meat grinder is in the window—what more can I say? “It’s there mostly for dramatic reasons, but it’s there so the customer can see what they are getting,” says Joe Obegi, owner for over 40 years and the man responsible for some of the freshest burgers on the West Coast. The grinder is only five feet from the huge flattop griddle.

  Joe emigrated from Armenia to Brooklyn, NY in the early 1960s and jumped a Greyhound for San Francisco the next day. He found his way to what was at the time a small walk-up diner resembling a cable car. In 1965, after working there for a while, Joe bought the restaurant, added his name to the marquee, and has held court daily since. “I see grandchildren now of customers from way back,” Joe told me as I inhaled my burger. Since the early days, Joe has renovated and expanded more than once and continually upgrades the service. Over the decades the restaurant slowly added indoor seating, beer and wine, parking (Joe spends half his day chasing off interlopers), and a larger state-of-the-art kitchen. It’s an impressive little empire.

  The restaurant décor is an eclectic mix of custom neon, oil paintings of butcher shop scenes, an artist’s rendering of retail cuts of beef, and a sea of Polaroids taken of regular customers. The black linoleum floor is polished to an impossible shine and a wall of windows into the kitchen gives you the sense that there’s nothing to hide here.

  Joe takes his burgers very seriously. Don’t look for half-pounders and other fractional designations here. Joe prefers to use what he calls “actual sizes,” four-, six-, and eight-ounce “fresh ground beef steaks.” The burgers are cooked medium-rare unless specified. The menu explains, “Order your beef steak the way you would like your steak cooked.”

  About halfway through my “beef steak,” Joe made a strange but characteristically brazen move. He grabbed a fork and delicately pried loose a small portion of meat from the center of my burger. “Eat that, just like that with no bun or ot
her stuff.” My burger experience had been altered and I had seen the light—Joe’s burgers really were ground steaks.

  A butcher dressed in all white with a white paper cap starts the burger-making process by trimming a large chuck steak behind glass, for all the patrons to witness. The meat is coarsely ground, measured, and portioned into balls using ice cream scoops, then gently pressed into patties six at a time with a special press of Joe’s design. When the patties hit the griddle they contain 6 to 8 percent fat.

  Driving down Mission in the Excelsior neighborhood, it’s hard to miss Joe’s. A huge sign, larger than the one with the actual name of the restaurant, announces with incredible candor, JOE GRINDS HIS OWN FRESH CHUCK DAILY. He really does and it makes all the difference.

  HOW TO BUY HAMBURGER MEAT

  Making patties from fresh ground beef at Joe’s Cable Car.

  OK, I’ve given you 150 reasons to eat out and you still want to make a burger at home? No problem. All you’ll need to do is drop in to your local big-box supermarket and grab a plastic-wrapped wad of ground meat on the Styrofoam tray, right? Wrong. The first step is getting the right meat. Here’s a guide to shopping for ground beef:

  Go to your local butcher, not the supermarket. Fresh ground beef is the prime ingredient of an excellent burger. Supermarket ground beef is rarely fresh. Also, the origin of the cow (or cows) that is in supermarket beef is usually unknown. If you go to a butcher, chances are the beef comes from one cow and is ground right in front of you.