I recently read through Joyce Lim’s wonderful blog post (https://blogs.ubc.ca/joycelim/2011/11/08/88/) on McDonald’s, their amazing globalization, and specifically their localized menu offering. There is no question some of the product offerings McDonald’s has around the world is a downright clever use of their product to appeal to local consumers around the world. But at the same time I wonder if these products have helped to actually position McDonald’s any better in these local areas? Maybe its just from growing up in the particularly health conscious West Coast of North America, but I feel McDonald’s is forever positioned here as an unhealthy indulgence. A meal who’s occurrence only happens upon certain circumstances often not by choice. In reading Joyce’s blog post, I began to reflect on fast food as a whole. From McDonalds, to Taco Bell, to Wendy’s there is only one that I have every consistently gone out of my way to visit… In-N-Out burger and oddly enough opposite to McDonald’s it has the smallest menu of them all. In an industry where size and quantity rule supreme over quality and service, In-N-Out provides a stark contrast to the industry norms.

In-N-Out operates out of California, Arizona, and Nevada. In-N-Out has managed differentiate itself amongst an overcrowded industry. Very different from McDonald’s, In-N-Out offers three different burgers, fries, and drinks:

This is a little different from a McDonald’s drive through menu:

This would appear to be a less for same value proposition; however, they actually offer a more for same value proposition. In-N-Out offers fresh ingredients for all their foods, famously known for seeing whole potatoes chopped in house to be used for fries.

By sticking to their core values of offering fresh food with friendly service just like their original hamburger stand in 1948, In-N-Out has proved to be a breath of fresh air in the fast food industry. In-N-Out is the only fast food restaurant I can think of that people talk and brag about visiting, an attribute to the success of their differentiation creating a strong brand image and great positioning in the fast food market.