We Came, We Saw, We Ate: Shake Shack vs In-N-Out
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East Coast, West Coast? Where will I be the tastiest?
SeedSing loves a good old american burger. Ty was recently in the south to try the legendary Whataburger. Today Tina is going to look at the most famous East Coast and West Coast burger. Do you have a thought? Come on over the SeedSing and tell us all about.
Over the last couple months, I had the opportunity to sample the east and west coasts’ favorite burgers: Shake Shack and In-N-Out Burger. Since I live in a city where neither is available, my only allegiance is to my own tastebuds.
First things first: Shake Shack is a New York City native, and In n Out hails from Southern California. I was in neither NYC nor LA this summer. Rather, I sampled Shake Shack at two locations in DC (the first was a restaurant across from the National Portrait Gallery, the second was at Nationals Park). For In-N-Out, I visited two locations relatively near Las Vegas (the first in St. George, Utah, and the 2nd in Summerlin, NV). Visiting twice is important to even out any flukes, and to gauge consistency. I’ll review the burger joints on 5 criteria: Burgers, fries, shakes, prices, and “other”.
Burgers
I’m given to understand that the way to eat an In-N-Out Burger is “Double Double Animal Style.” I did this twice. (Typically, I don’t get cheese on a “good” burger, but I wanted to do it the right way, so I made an exception at In n Out.) My initial impression was that the meat itself was above average. I really liked the way the cheese melted into a gooey sort of sauce, melding with the “spread” and grilled onions. My one major hang-up was In-N-Out’s bun. It was bland and dry. I originally thought maybe just mine was stale, but my husband thought his was dry too. And the same thing happened at the Summerlin location, so… points for consistency, I guess? But dry hamburger buns are not my cup of tea. The Animal Style burger, with all its added moisture (spread, cheese, onions, mustard, etc) just couldn’t overcome it.
At Shake Shack, on the other hand, the burgers are SUBLIME. It was the same consistent burger at both locations (impressive, considering that one is in a stadium). The meat is perfect, just the right amount of beefy and fatty. It’s smashed on the grill to get the little crispy bits on the edges. The potato bun is slightly sweet, dense and soft, perfect for containing the glorious burger juice. As I noted before, I didn’t get cheese, just a regular “Shackburger” which has shack sauce, lettuce, and tomato. Heaven.
WINNER: Strong Shake Shack
Fries
At In-N-Out, we got one order of fries “animal style,” one regular. The fries we got in St. George were near perfect. Fresh from the fryer, hot and crisp. Good ratio of crispy outside to fluffy inside. The animal style fries were “meh” to me. Although I liked the spread on the burger, I didn’t care for it on the fries. I realize that’s just personal taste, and my husband did really like the animal style fries. The bigger issue, to me, is that at both places, my lovely hot fresh non-animal fries came with a little salt packet on top. At first I thought that was strange, until I tasted them, and realized that they are woefully underseasoned. And they know it, which is why they gave me salt! Hell, no, people. Season your food, and give it to me the way YOU think it tastes best. If I don’t like it, I’ll ask for no salt next time.
Shake Shack’s fries are crinkle cut. This is polarizing. My husband is anti-crinkle, which I suspect is because he associates crinkle with Ore-Ida and school lunches. I, on the other hand, am a woman of science. I understand that the crinkles are increasing the overall surface area of the fries, and thereby, in an ideal world, making them crisper. And the Shack’s fries were wonderfully crisp and well-seasoned. They also are available with a weird off-kilter cheese sauce that I happen to love, but that my husband clearly did not. So if my husband were writing this, he’d probably give the French fry win to In n Out. But he’s not here, and so…(Ed Note: Tina's husband is one of my favorite people, so I am going to side with him.)
WINNER: Somewhat Shake Shack
Shakes
I do not often get milkshakes. I mostly cannot wrap my head around drinking ice cream, it seems too indulgent. I think I get one milkshake a year. In-N-Out had a shake machine. Now, if I am going to drink 500+ calories, it’s going to be a genuine hand-dipped milkshake, not a pale machine imitation made with mix. So I didn’t even try a shake at In-N-Out.
Shake Shack has hand-dipped milkshakes. My son had vanilla near the portrait gallery, and chocolate at Nats Park. I sampled both and was underwhelmed. They were cold and sweet, with good consistency, but lacking in flavor. I found myself wishing there was a Steak n Shake nearby.
WINNER: Meh
Prices
In-N-Out is less expensive, there’s no question about it. Two Double Double Animal Styles, two drinks, one animal fry, and one regular fry set us back around $17. Not too shabby.
On the other hand, two of Shake Shack’s single burgers, two orders of fries, and two drinks totaled up around $25 near the portrait gallery. (In fairness to Shake Shack, I will not include the Nats Park prices in this assessment. I don’t know if Dodger Stadium has an In-N-Out, but if one exists, I’m guessing I can’t feed two people on 17 bucks there.)
WINNER: In-N-Out, but since I really shouldn’t be eating these meals all that often, the extra expense at Shake Shack might be a feature, not a bug.
Other
Décor: In-N-Out looks more like a traditional fast food place, whereas Shake Shack has a more upscale classy look. Both were clean and pleasant. No clear winner or loser.
Service: Quick, competent, and cheerful each time. Can’t ask for anything more. Another tie.
Soda selection: Shake Shack has Diet Coke and Coke Zero. In-N-Out just has Diet Coke. Point to the Shack.
Overall selection: I sort of admire In-N-Out for essentially saying “we have burgers and fries and that’s it.” I’m fans of the concept of doing one thing and doing it well. However, Shake Shack has a few more options which make it a little friendlier to a group. They have chicken, a Portobello burger, flat top hot dogs, and ice cream as well as burgers and fries. It’s still a small, focused menu, but I appreciate the added variety. Another point to the Shack.
Exercise of first amendment rights: Ok, so this may just be me, but given the choice, I prefer that my lunch packaging not proselytize. Granted, In-N-Out’s preaching is subtle, just Bible chapter & verse hidden on drink cups and wrappers. It’s pretty easy to ignore, but I still want my food to keep its religious beliefs to itself. (Exceptions made for kosher hot dogs & the occasional Chik-Fil-A.) Yet another point to Shake Shack.
Clubby insularity: I shouldn’t have to do research on the internet to know what’s on your menu. Enough with the “secret menu,” In-N-Out. Just tell me what you have. Hey, Shake Shack is really cleaning up on the “other” category.
VERDICT: Strong Shake Shack
All in all, both provide a very good burger and fry experience (unlike Five Guys, whose fries are unapologetically BAD.) But if you made it this far, you have probably guessed that I’m a Shake Shack gal all the way. Considering that there are more Shake Shacks within a day’s drive of my house, I think the ultimate winner is ME.
Tina S
Tina S has now entered into post-vacation food detox.
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