In-N-Out Burger has long been considered a California institution, with many polls ranking the West Coast institution at No. 1 in fans’ hearts. However, a recent surprising poll revealed that the burger giant is no longer No. 1 in California. So which fast-food joint now sits at the top spot?
McDonald’s Bumps In-N-Out Burger
BetCalifornia recently conducted a study of the top fast-food joints in California, according to fans. The Golden State is where restaurants like Carl’s Jr., Taco Bell, In-N-Out Burger, McDonald’s, and Jack in the Box first opened.
It should come as no surprise that four of those California-born brands top the state’s rankings for fast-food selections, given the inherent ties between those restaurants and the state as a whole.
The outlet examined the most popular fast-food chains among Californians by analyzing their search results from July 11, 2023, to July 11, 2024, ahead of Fast Food Day, which took place on Nov. 16. With a search interest total of three points, the Golden Arches of McDonald’s defeated the other in-state brands, with Taco Bell, In-N-Out, and Jack in the Box each finishing with two search interest points during the relevant period. This year, the pioneer of modern fast food emerged victorious in California.
In 2024, California’s top choice was the fast-food monolith, which started in San Bernadino in 1940. Taco Bell, which started in Downey, In-N-Out Burger, which started in Baldwin Park, and Jack in the Box from San Diego were the next closest brands in the state.
The complete list of California’s top fast-food brands this year includes California brands Carl’s Jr. and Del Taco, as well as a few familiar names like Chick-fil-A, Wendy’s, Chipotle, Burger King, and KFC, all of which got search interest scores of one point each.
4 New Locations in California
Despite no longer holding the top spot in California’s heart, In-N-Out Burger recently announced that it would be opening four new locations in the Golden State in the New Year.
540 N. Euclid St. will be Anaheim’s fourth location, according to ABC 7. The address of the second Oxnard location is 1700 E. Ventura Blvd. For Sylmar and Carson, it’s the first. 20512 Avalon Blvd. and 13864 Foothill Blvd. are the addresses for the Carson and Sylmar locations, respectively.
There is no set date for the major openings, but ABC 7 contacted In-N-Out Burger for more details. The additional locations are merely indicated as “Opening Soon” on the company’s official website.
Additionally, the official website states that two new sites in Idaho — one in Boise and one in Nampa — will be “opening soon,” with no definite opening date, just like the four new locations in California. In Arizona, close to Phoenix, six more sites will open. The revelation that In-N-Out Burger will be partnering with the Tough Mudder event in Big Bear, California, next year coincides with the news of these additional sites.
The new site that is debuting in Las Vegas, Nevada, is expected to be the largest location in the company’s history to date, dwarfing all of these other openings.
The third floor of The BLVD, a huge upcoming shopping complex on the Strip located at 3755 S. Las Vegas Blvd., will house the 15th Las Vegas storefront. With 2,500 square feet of outdoor space in addition to somewhat more than 8,000 square feet of internal space for the In-N-Out Burger, it will be one of the largest In-N-Out locations, if not the largest. In contrast, the original site, which is now a museum, was situated in Baldwin Park, California, and was just 100 square feet.
