60th Anniversary – Why Japanese People Like In-n-Out

In-n-out is celebrating its 60th anniversary.

It’s no surprise that this burger chain has remained around so long. It’s good. It’s popular. People on both sides of the Pacific like it.

Many people might not find this too remarkable, but I do. The Japanese are notoriously picky eaters. When KFC went to Japan the first time, it failed because the flavor and recipe from the US was brought there. After a brief hiatus KFC went back with Japanese management and Japanese cooks…and succeeded. Japanese like things catered to their tastes.

But, my Japanese friends in CA like In-n-Out. The chain, the cooking has not been tailored in any way. It’s just In-n-Out like the rest of us get it, but my Japanese friends like it.

I wonder why…

Well, there’s an In-n-Out I see at different hours of the day depending on the time and day of my commute to the church I attend. Invariably, there is a long line of cars in the drive-thru window. I mean, 10+ cars lined up…all the time. (I wonder why they don’t go inside, but…)

Anyway, there are always cars, always customers. In short In-n-Out is good, good food. Plain and simple.

Perhaps that’s why Japanese like it, eh?