quote:Originally posted by erosomniac: You had crap management. When I worked there, we had a 10 minute timer built into the holding area, and tossed fries out if they were old.
Oh agreed. The time was actually set for 7 minutes, I think. Or it might have been ten. I don't remember specifically, but I know it was common practice to 'forget' to set the timer, or to reset it once it had gone off.
Of course, the managers gave hell to anyone they caught doing it, but it was for show. Because anytime a manager walked by and the timer was going off they would do the same thing.
It may just be that a few particular stores are that way, but if I had to make a guess, I'd say that the small minority did everything the way they were supposed to.
Posts: 349 | Registered: Oct 2007
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I have a love-hate relationship with In & Out burger. I love their food as well as their speed and quality of service.
I hate that I can't have it that often, and they're building a brand new one right across from where I work in Sac, CA where I'll smell it ALL DAY LONG. It's going to make me fat...
Self control is my friend.... *wince*
Posts: 4229 | Registered: Dec 2002
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quote:Originally posted by The Pixiest: The service at the local In-And-Out in Milpitas is wonderful. They always have a BIG smile for you and seem excited to be serving you. I know it's an act, but it really makes me want to go there.
It's less of an act than you think. The reason the company can manage such a cheerful attitude on the part of their employees is that the employees of In N' Out are — as an exception to the fast food business rule — treated well, as opposed to being handled like shambling, easily-cycled automatrons.
Posts: 15421 | Registered: Aug 2005
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I opened this thread again at 12:14 am last night while chatting with my roommate who had just returned from a date. I was already in my pajamas and we both had to get up early but snarked out to In-N-Out anyway.
I just couldn't resist! The young man working the window was SO nice and pleasant that I had to lean across my friend's lap and tell him how much I appreciated his service and good attitude. It was 12:30, a half hour till they closed, and he was downright delightful.
Downside, is I've realized I hate their shakes. But the burger was fab.
Ketchupqueen- what is the place in Tujunga with the great onion rings?
Posts: 3936 | Registered: Jul 2000
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Yeah, their shakes aren't as good as, say, Steak and Shake, but they're quite decent. At least they don't taste completely nasty and fake (like Sonic's.)
The place in Tujunga with the wonderful onion rings is Troy Burger. To warn you, they will put five pounds on you in one sitting, and one order will serve 3 or 4 people-- more if you're light eaters or just having a snack.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: Yeah, their shakes aren't as good as, say, Steak and Shake, but they're quite decent. At least they don't taste completely nasty and fake (like Sonic's.)
Oh, nasty and fake is exactly how they taste to me. I am a huge ice cream snob though. I would rather eat no ice cream than mediocre ice cream. The best shakes in Los Angeles, IMO, are at the Cafe 50's in WestLA on Santa Monica blvd. Fatburger shakes are good, too. I hate pre-concocted crap. REAL ice cream, real milk, mix-ins if you must, and then blend. If it comes out of a nozzle chances are I'll hate it.
My little brother loves them, so I can appreciate that tastes vary.
I will definitely have to check out those onion rings next time I am in the valley.
Posts: 3936 | Registered: Jul 2000
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quote:I will definitely have to check out those onion rings next time I am in the valley.
You won't regret it-- just don't let them sit too long in the bag. They cook them fresh and they are VERY hot, and they serve them to you in a brown paper bag. I've found that if you pour them out and eat them right away they are great, if you don't they still taste great but so much steam builds up in the bag it can cause the breading to separate, while it's still tasty they get a little soggy and the breading falls off.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Which In-N-Out was this, ketchupqueen? I usually went to the one by the Media Center near the AMC in Burbank, and they were always so nice, and I loved their food, and it was often the only place I could afford, particularly if I had just seen a movie. This thread is making me so nostalgic for an In-N-Out, though my roommate doesn't understand the appeal (even after I insisted on reading him the entire wiki-page).
On the subject of ignoring what the franchise says to do, my roommate and I work two Subways owned by the same franchisee. Our last owner directed us to ignore some of the franchise rules, and because he was a good owner and he really cared about his employees and his company, usually the changes were minor for the customer or lead to their having better experiences. Now that we have a new owner (and new locations), we're seeing a great deal of the aspects of Subway franchise law that we were protected from and most of it is hugely inferior to what we're accustomed to providing our customers-- the rules tend to lead to a store less-clean, less quick, less able to provide whatever the customer wants, and less courteous. Moreover our new owner is less-inclined to pay a living wage, and makes us pay for all our food. How I wish our old owner had never sold out! It was only after he sold that we found out that we were part of the top-rated Subway franchise in this state.
Posts: 1751 | Registered: Jun 1999
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The one that undercooked my meat? It was the Tujunga In-N-Out. I've never gotten a bad burger from them during the day, I'm thinking fatigue was probably a factor since the burgers were purchased at 12:43 am.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I think I was there only once. =D I used to live two blocks from the Burbank airport, though. =D
Posts: 1751 | Registered: Jun 1999
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quote:Originally posted by The Pixiest: The service at the local In-And-Out in Milpitas is wonderful. They always have a BIG smile for you and seem excited to be serving you. I know it's an act, but it really makes me want to go there.
It's less of an act than you think. The reason the company can manage such a cheerful attitude on the part of their employees is that the employees of In N' Out are — as an exception to the fast food business rule — treated well, as opposed to being handled like shambling, easily-cycled automatrons.
This only really works if you buy the idea that well-treated employees are more cheerful, which I've never found to be the case.
Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
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quote:his only really works if you buy the idea that well-treated employees are more cheerful, which I've never found to be the case.
That's certainly been the case in my own life, and in the lives of my friends. We've always been more cheerful at jobs where we were treated well. Being treated with respect and compassion by an employer makes a world of difference.
Everyone has bad days, but the odds of bad work days occurring decreases when your employer wants you to benefit from working with them.
Posts: 3936 | Registered: Jul 2000
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I'd venture a guess that the way In-N-Out treats their employees probably makes a big difference. The reason I think this is because most of the time, fast food jobs are at the bottom end of the spectrum of job satisfaction. So if employees are treated *really well* in a fast food job, there is going to be a huge contrast between the way they are treated and the way they might *expect* to be treated in that industry. (Especially if they have worked in other fast food jobs before.) I can see this having an effect on their mood. Good line-level management is a HUGE factor here - it doesn't matter how great your pay and training and benefits are if your immediate boss is a jerk.
The difference between companies that treat their employees moderately well and those that treat them poorly is going to have a smaller impact on employee mood. Same with the difference between moderately well and extremely well.
Employee tenure is also a big factor. People that are in the same job for the same company for a long time tend to drift toward a critical/negative attitude toward the company over time, in my experience. Expectations adjust based on past treatment; good treatment leads to higher expectations. Tenured employees at a great company probably aren't feeling more cheerful on a daily bases than tenured employees at an OK company. I suspect average tenure at In-N-Out is longer than at Taco Bell, but perhaps not drastically so. At any rate, if the company puts an emphasis on having happy employees and addresses failures to meet the standard, the negative ones aren't going to stick around for as long as the ones who really like it there.
Posts: 4287 | Registered: Mar 2005
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I can taste my double-double, animal style right now. I love their chocolate shakes, their fries, mmmmm...
Too bad I live in Houston now. I used to think that those In-n-Out commericals were stupid, but now I'm ready to get a number one fedexed to me. Except for the fact that you have to eat their fries first, and while they are hot.
Actually, I miss a lot of Cali places - Yaki Burger in Burbank, The Habit, Pollo Loco - much much better than Popeyes or KFC, Sharkey's, Original Original Tommy's on Rampart, Poquito Mas, etc. H-Town has great barbeque, but little else except soulless big-box restaurants.
Posts: 561 | Registered: Feb 2005
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quote:Originally posted by tern: Actually, I miss a lot of Cali places - Yaki Burger in Burbank, The Habit, Pollo Loco - much much better than Popeyes or KFC, Sharkey's, Original Original Tommy's on Rampart, Poquito Mas, etc. H-Town has great barbeque, but little else except soulless big-box restaurants.
Slow down there, cowpoke! I don't think you should dismiss Pops and KFC so summarily.
Roy Rogers is still, of course, the king. I think there's still one left on the Parkway or Thruway somewhere.
Posts: 158 | Registered: Jan 2008
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El Pollo Loco isn't fried chicken, though. Different animals. (Well, not ANIMALS, but styles of cooking them. )
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Oh, you are so being psychic, Da_Goat-- I was just thinking of this thread! I can't believe you bumped it tonight!
(I was thinking of it because the baby demanded I have Tommy's chili cheese fries tonight. How does this make sense; she gives me heartburn and then demands chili cheese fries? I ate them-- with Zantac and milk!)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I have to disagree. El Pollo Loco is sooo wonderful. Mmmmmm. So much tastier than fried chicken-- even tastier than home-made fried chicken, to me.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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quote:Originally posted by tern: [QB] Original Original Tommy's on Rampart, [QB]
Heh. I was there one time, years ago, at...well, after midnight...and there was still a line clear around the building. Never saw anything quite like it.
**********
As far as fries go, my favorite fries come from Hot Dog On A Stick. Extra added attraction, besides the fries: they serve authentic fresh-squeezed lemonade, which they make from authentic Oxnard/Saticoy lemons.
Posts: 2454 | Registered: Jan 2003
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I like Hot Dog On A Stick lemonade, but I DON'T like their fries much; maybe it's just the location I've been to. And their lemonade, while yummy, is expensive enough I don't buy it much even if I really really want it. And their corn dogs are disgusting.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Da_Goat: I love In-N-Out. A friend of mine and I are in there so often that we're now on a first-name basis with most of the employees.
Fact: There is more calories in one large shake than there is in a double double.
quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: I like Hot Dog On A Stick lemonade, but I DON'T like their fries much; maybe it's just the location I've been to. And their lemonade, while yummy, is expensive enough I don't buy it much even if I really really want it. And their corn dogs are disgusting.
Hot Dog On A Stick lemonade is totally worth the price. And their corn dogs are delicious. Now the fries, I'll admit, are nothing to write home about. Just your average, everyday fries.
Really, when it comes to fries, I think the biggest factor is how old they are. Fresh off the fryer fries >> a few minutes old fries >> more than 10 minutes old fries. In-N-Out fry goodness probably comes just as much from their high turnover (every In-N-Out I've ever been to was hopping) as from their fresh potatoes.
Posts: 2409 | Registered: Sep 2003
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I didn't say it's not worth the price-- just that I can't afford it often.
I still think their corndogs are disgusting, but that's probably more a reflection of my feelings on hot dogs in general. (The only ones I've found that are worth eating, to me, are Hebrew National 99% fat free.)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: I like Hot Dog On A Stick lemonade, but I DON'T like their fries much; maybe it's just the location I've been to. And their lemonade, while yummy, is expensive enough I don't buy it much even if I really really want it. And their corn dogs are disgusting.
Yeah. The lemonade is kind of expensive, which is why even though they have a location about a mile/mile and a half down the road from me, I'm not there every day. Which is probably a good thing, because objectively speaking, I don't need lemonade every day.
But, I'm spoiled...when I was a little kid we had a lemon tree in our front yard (in Simi Valley) that bore lemons all year round, so I had fresh-squeezed lemonade whenever I wanted it. Consequently, I won't drink fake lemonade unless the craving is really serious and I have no access to the real thing.
Darn. Now, I'll probably have to get to the mall sometime today and get some lemonade, now that I've been thinking about it.
Posts: 2454 | Registered: Jan 2003
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My dad has a dwarf Meyer lemon tree in his yard that bears pretty much year-round. We have home-grown Meyers whenever we want them. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Well, my dad ( )has a lemon bush and an orange bush in the front yard. Most delicious oranges I've ever had, and the lemons aren't bad either. The darn things sprout so many fruit that we've had to put up "help yourself" signs for passerbyers to make sure they don't go to waste.
Edit: 'course I'm on the other side of the country now, so... *sniff* I don't oranges or In-N-Out or Hot Dog On a Stick.
Posts: 2409 | Registered: Sep 2003
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Why is there nothing good to eat in the whole state of Alabama, but there's everything yummy to eat back home in California? When I lived in California, we had a persimmon tree. Now, I'm lucky if I can find one bruised, overripe persimmon every two years.... Posts: 1751 | Registered: Jun 1999
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