A Bay Space native goes to excessive lengths to fly In-N-Out burgers from California to his residence within the Large Apple – and he’s sharing his ideas with fellow New Yorkers determined for a meal from the West Coast chain.
Spencer Farrar, 55, a retired Marine Corps colonel and California transplant dwelling in New York, travels typically for work – and he brings an additional carry-on bag every time so he can fly a dozen burgers residence to New York.
A Reddit submit he made sharing his ideas and methods gained traction amongst die-hard In-N-Out followers – racking up almost 2,000 reactions and greater than 200 feedback.
“Great idea. Moved from So Cal to NYC 6 years ago and always either brought some myself (making rookie mistakes) or asked my fam to bring me some when visiting me,” one person wrote in a submit.
One other Reddit person requested Farrar if he ever thought of promoting the transplant burgers to New Yorkers.
“I bet I could sell a Double Double for $20, but it would be a hassle, and I’d probably get sued by the company if they found out,” he replied. “If In-N-Out opened up here, I guarantee this would be the top restaurant in the country.”
His preservation strategies go a step past a plastic bag and lunch field.
Earlier than driving to the airport, his final cease in California is all the time an In-N-Out location, the place he orders a few dozen plain burgers – no tomatoes, onions or lettuce, which might make the buns soggy. If something, these further substances must be introduced again in a separate container, in keeping with Farrar.
Sauce packets must be ordered on the facet for a similar motive, and keep away from the french fries, which “don’t taste good after 10 minutes, let alone after a long flight,” he wrote within the Reddit submit.
Then, the burgers are positioned in massive Ziploc baggage inside an additional carry-on suitcase, surrounded by pre-frozen ice packs – to keep away from the scent carrying throughout your entire airplane, certainly one of his earlier missteps.
As quickly as Farrar will get residence, he vacuum seals the burgers – eradicating about 75% of the air in order to not squish them an excessive amount of – and tosses them within the freezer.
He recommends In-N-Out fanatics eat the frozen burgers inside three or 4 months, although he confessed to going longer.
“I’ll be honest, I’ve had In-N-Outs that I have frozen for over a year and it still tastes great,” Farrar advised SFGATE.
When he’s able to eat the burgers, he defrosts them for about 45 seconds within the microwave, then reheats the patty within the oven at 325 levels for eight minutes and toasts the bun individually.
Lastly, “confuse people by eating in public and tell them an In-N-Out just opened up locally,” Farrar mentioned.
In-N-Out followers have gone wild over much less.
In 2019, a Double-Double burger from the chain was discovered on the streets of Queens – inflicting a frenzy over suspicions that the corporate may be opening a New York location. Sadly for followers, it had merely been dropped by a Queens excessive schooler who had flown again from California.
“A lot of the appeal of In-N-Out is the nostalgia for California,” Farrar advised SFGATE. “The quirky history, the cryptic religious notes on the cups. It’s a little part of California here on the East Coast that I think a lot of people crave.”
He mentioned he even fingers out the defrosted In-N-Out burgers to fellow California transplants as “a holiday present or just to kind of give people cheer” since they’re a “novel currency” in New York.
He hopes by flying the burgers residence and sharing his ideas, he may encourage In-N-Out to open a New York location.
In-N-Out presently has areas in California, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas and Colorado, with about 400 complete eating places.
And it appears New York is unlikely to get an In-N-Out location anytime quickly.
In-N-Out is ready to open its first Tennessee location in Nashville subsequent 12 months, the furthest east the chain has ventured to date.
Lynsi Snyder, In-N-Out’s present proprietor and granddaughter of the chain’s founders, advised the “Today” present final 12 months that Tennessee will in all probability be essentially the most eastward location whereas she’s in cost.
“As long as I’m around, I’m probably saying never,” she mentioned, about increasing into the East Coast.
In-N-Out didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark about growth plans.
