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I just got back from having lunch at In and Out, a SoCal burger chain that is incredibly good, at least by fast food standards. Because they insist on making everything fresh, the food actually has flavor content. Wow, what a concept: fries that taste like potatoes! Crispy lettuce! Non-cardboard-tasting buns. Fuddrucker's may have the market cornered on good beef, but In and Out provides a much better overall experience, and at regular fast food prices.
Given that In and Out is enormously busy and profitable, their approach seems worth investigating for possible best practices. What I see, however, runs counter to conventional fast food wisdom.
First, they pay their employees at least 10 dollars an hour (many of them make more) and they offer them full benefits. Months go by and I still see the same faces behind the counter, meaning that turnover is relatively low. I'm sure this makes the restaurant more efficient and also elevates the quality of the food prepared.
Second, they make only two things: burgers and fries. No spicy chicken sandwich; no onion rings; no apple pies. Just really good burgers and fries. So good that people are willing to wait in line during lunch for 10 minutes to order and longer at night at the drivethrough when the queue routinely extends beyond 15 cars.
Third, they focus on the actual quality of their product, not just on market perception or share. Instead of advertising that their food is the best, they just make it the best and it sells itself. After living in SoCal for over a year, I've seen only one or two In and Out ads - compared to perhaps hundreds of McBurgerWendy's ads. Yet, In and Out consistently has more customers than any of its competitors. Word of mouth works wonders when you make a quality product.
I'm sure there are other elements to In and Out's success worth examining; but, I've got a staff meeting in five minutes and leave now to prepare for it.
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