Best Fast Food Restaurand: In-N-Out Burger
Get in and get out.
That's what people often do if they have only minutes to eat between appointments or commitments during the course of a busy day.
They want to get served at a restaurant and get out, and the faster the better. Or if they're really in a hurry and need to eat and run, they'll get in and take out.
And they want the restaurant not only to serve food fast but serve good fast food.
In-N-Out Burger knows how to balance those customer needs, judging by results of the Yuma Sun's Yuma's Best poll of readers' favorite businesses and recreational and entertainment venues around the area.
The In-N-Out Burger restaurant located in the Yuma Palms Regional Center was picked No. 1 in the Best Fast Food category in 2010.
“We are thrilled to learn that we came in first in our category,” Carl Van Fleet, the restaurant chain's vice president of planning and development, said in an e-mail to the Yuma Sun.
“This result is especially nice because it comes straight from our customers and Sun readers.”
In-N-Out restaurants serve a variety of hamburgers and cheeseburgers, fresh fries, soft drinks, and vanilla, chocolate and strawberry milkshakes. That menu, according to the company's history, has remained unchanged since Harry and Esther Snyder opened the first In-N-Out, a drive-through hamburger stand in Baldwin Park, Calif., in 1948.
The Snyders sought to serve food of the highest quality possible in a clean and friendly atmosphere, company officials say, and those principles remain the cornerstone of the company's philosophy today.
The hamburger patties are made from chuck delivered fresh to the grill after being boned and ground in In-N-Out's own meat department, according to company officials. The patties are topped with lettuce, vine-ripened tomatoes and sweet onions prepared daily at each restaurant to ensure freshness.
“Additionally, we have always placed a heavy emphasis on customer service,” Van Fleet said in his e-mail. “In our mission statement, it says ‘... the customer is our most important asset.' We hire friendly, hard-working associates who are committed to making sure that every time a customer visits, it's a great experience.
“We also pay our associates well. The starting wage is $10 per hour and associates can earn raises quickly as they master new skills in different areas of the restaurant.”
The Yuma restaurant is open Sundays through Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Customers have their choice of eating inside at a table or going through the drive-through lane.
