Yesterday In-N-Out appeared in Sydney for the first time at a pop-up event at Mexican restaurant Barrio Chino (sorry we didn't find out earlier so we could tell you guys to actually go to the event). Similar to the In-N-Out pop-up in Shanghai last month, this event also illustrated some not so secret menu items, specifically Animal Style and Protein Style burgers. Prices were a bit higher than in the US: Double-Double for AU $5 (US $5.23), cheeseburger for AU $4 (US $4.18), and hamburger for AU $3 (US $3.14).
CaliBurger is the upcoming burger chain aiming to bring a taste of California-style fast food burgers to Shanghai and beyond—which would be fine if they weren't also trademarking In-N-Out's burger names outside of the US. As the legal battle continues, In-N-Out responded with a one-day pop-up in Shanghai.
AHT reader Josh Atkins, who first told us about CaliBurger and the In-N-Out event, recently attended a tasting at CaliBurger. Here's his report.
If you don't live near an In-N-Out but really really really really need some Double-Double action and you have some money to burn, online food store (specialty: "the best" hard to get foodstuffs) Midtown Row is selling In-N-Out Double-Doubles (in Classic or Animal Style), freshly frozen with overnight shipping for $50 per two burgers. Order before 11:59 p.m. PST on October 31; the burgers shop on November 1.
[Photograph: David Kover] Our San Francisco correspondent David Kover recently went on a trip to Ecuador where he spotted this unofficial In-N-Out in Quito whose menu featured pork chops, fried fish, and empanadas to go along with the burgers....
From the looks of this sign a passerby might think In-N-Out is opening in Shanghai, but unless the famously slow expanding chain has built a new beef processing plant in China....nope. Shanghai-based AHT reader Josh Atkin sent this photo in to us, saying it looked like "a classic case of Chinese bootlegging." But does it taste good? We'll find out from Josh later.
Does Grab-N-Go's logo remind you of anything? ...Yeaaah. Nice try, Grab-N-Go, but In-N-Out isn't okay with the similar name, color scheme, and logo design. The AP reports that In-N-Out filed an infringement lawsuit against Grab-N-Go this week due to the similarities, claiming that "customers could be led to believe that the Aberdeen, Md., burger joint Grab-N-Go is related to In-N-Out." But Grab-N-Go isn't just similar to In-N-Out; looking at Grab-N-Go's photos on Facebook there's a definite Five Guys resemblance as well.
Yesterday @TheRealChrisKim tweeted this photo of a bag of Zapp's VooDoo potato chips—Kenji's favorite—next to an In-N-Out Double Double. Kenji called it "the ultimate meal; don't have to deal with limp In-N-Out fries." Nice pairing, Chris!
Does the logo for Burger Express in Boise, Idaho, look a bit familiar? Red, bold, sans-serif type surrounded by a pointy, yellow shape? The video from KTVB shows a few more similarities in menu and restaurant design, and In-N-Out isn't happy about it, saying they'll file a lawsuit if Burger Express's manager Larry Squillace doesn't make changes to his restaurant's look—estimated to cost over $35,000—by August 5. Squillace acknowledges the similarities, but isn't budging; "I don't feel I did anything wrong," he told KTVB. He had stronger words in his interview with Idaho Statesman: "This goliath company just wants to pop our bubble and take all our dreams and smash 'em."
