- November 12, 2018 -
In-N-Out Burger.
An incredibly successful burger chain that originated in Baldwin Park, CA, a suburb of Los Angeles in 1948 by newlyweds Harry and Esther Snyder.
One of the nations first drive-thru's.
They sell...burgers.
Not chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, fish sandwiches, artisan sandwiches.
They don't do onion rings or salads.
(They do offer fries, soda and shakes)
They focus on one thing: full-on beef burgers.
...no vegan burgers, bean burgers, tofu burgers.
You get only three options (perfect for decision-challenged carnivores): Hamburger, Cheeseburger, and their trademarked Double-Double ®
And they do them amazingly well....to the point where they have an almost cult following.
Everyone from businessmen in suits...to Millennials glued to their cellphones...to construction guys in steel toed boots...to Hell's Kitchen Gordan Ramsay who's been known to sneak a Double Double onto planes.
Their whole menu could easily fit inside one-half of one side of one of their competitor's huge LCD menus who have 1200 diff menu options.
None of which are done very well.
While McDonalds focused on speed, lower prices, and high volume ...Harry Snyder and his generational successors have kept it simple:
+ slim pickins menu
+ clear operational standards
+ and private ownership (no franchises at all)
As in hasn't flinched one iota.
Hasn't gotten all creative or trendy or fly or voguish...or whatever.
Just focuses on quality, friendly service, cleanliness.
That's it.
Their staff is paid better than the average fast food worker so turn over is significantly less than any of their competition...which then lowers their labor cost significantly.
Every employee rotates thru the different positions so they can not only jump into any other position in the unit and take over at any time...but also so that they don't get bored doing the same task over and over.
Oh, and they've also remained tight-lipped about everything:
...from the chain’s secret sauce
...to its twin palm trees that guard locations
...and the Bible verses printed on the restaurant’s cups and hamburger wrappers.
Generating mystique and popularity.
In-N-Out is a brand that advertises itself.
You’re chasing them, not the other way around.
Raving, loyal fans.
Get this...a typical I-N-O unit will open at 10:30 am and close at 1:00 am -- from the minute they open until the time they close, there's a line of cars in the drive thru and people inside ordering or eating.
Takeaway?
Focus on your core capability.
Simplify.
Let go of the clutter of products, services, versions and iterations that distract you from the "one thing" that you do best.
Do that one thing amazingly well and...be the In-N-Out in your niche.
Later,
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