Why In-N-Out Serves Coke Products But Not Sprite, According To Fans

It's a classic restaurant conundrum: you ask for your choice between Coke or Pepsi, and the employee asks if the other beverage is okay. This is because most restaurants are beholden to serving products from one soda brand or the other. Some chains, like McDonald's, even have specific deals with their chosen soda brand to get the best-quality products. In-N-Out Burger, however, is an exception to this rule. 

When getting a fountain drink at In-N-Out, you'll see that the chain offers Coke products — with the exception of serving Pepsi-affiliated 7UP instead of Sprite. According to dedicated fans, this isn't a coincidence, as there's a historical reason In-N-Out has always served 7UP.

The fans behind @innoutburger_ on X make this claim: "Decades ago, a fire destroyed an In-N-Out warehouse. 7UP allowed In-N-Out to use its warehouse and facilities when In-N-Out was a small, growing company. In-N-Out continues to show gratitude to 7UP by serving its product instead of Sprite." A version of this anecdote is also found on Facebook's In-N-Out Burger Enthusiasts page, with many comments praising the decision and stating that they prefer 7UP to Sprite. An attempt to verify this historic anecdote with In-N-Out company headquarters did not receive an immediate response.

In-N-Out Burger has a long history spanning over 75 years. The chain first opened in 1948, and founder Harry Snyder soon created a two-way speaker system to pioneer drive-thru service. A quarter-century later, in 1973, the chain had expanded to 13 restaurants — an exciting amount of growth, but nowhere near the hundreds of locations the chain operates today.

Soon after this, though, the budding chain hit a few snags. Tragically, founder Harry Snyder passed away in 1976, and control of the company was passed to his sons Rich and Guy Snyder. But as current In-N-Out president Lynsi Snyder recalls in her book, a catastrophic fire at the chain's warehouse did occur in 1978. With In-N-Out still being a small company at the time, the entire chain could have been ruined by this event — but the chain's vendors, such as the distributor of 7UP, lent a hand to help the company recuperate from its losses.

Thanks to this generosity, the restaurant got back on its feet, and 10 years later, the 50th In-N-Out Burger opened. Today, the chain is flourishing, and is known for having a ton of secret menu items alongside its iconic milkshakes and Double-Double burgers. According to die-hard In-N-Out fans, none of this would have been possible without the help of 7UP, which is why this classic soda remains available at restaurant locations.