Why You'll Probably Never See Bacon On In-N-Out's Menu

What do people do when something is great? They try to think of ways to make it even better. When it comes to In-N-Out burger, the hands-down best American burger chain (according to us), people can't help but wonder how bacon could enhance a beloved favorite. But despite all the salivating clamors online for a pork addition to their beef, bacon will most likely never appear on In-N-Out's menu. For the California-based company that grew from a tiny shack to over 400 locations, it boils down to why mess with a winning formula?

Since bacon does sound like a no-brainer upgrade, Tasting Table reached out to In-N-Out for an official weigh-in. "We have been committed to the same simple menu for over 77 years at In-N-Out," a spokesperson said. "We believe this approach helps us to keep an intense focus on the quality of our products." 

Freshness and quality have been a priority for In-N-Out since its beginnings in 1948 when co-founder Harry Snyder would go to the market each morning to hand-select ingredients for the day.  This commitment to cooking fresh can still be seen today in how this fast food chain refuses microwaves and freezers across all locations. With that in mind, it does make sense that keeping their menu simple — burgers, fries, shakes — means there's less room for error.

In-N-Out's spokesperson acknowledged that fans of the burger chain routinely make suggestions for expanding the menu. One native Californian took to Reddit to air his grievance. "In 'n' Out [sic] is as much part of my upbringing as Disneyland, the beach, desert, and mountains are ... Nothing beats an In 'n' Out burger [sic], except for an In 'n' Out [sic] burger with bacon."

Commenters with experience working in the industry were quick to respond. "Bacon adds far too much complexity to the well-oiled machines that INO kitchens are. Adding another item that needs to touch the grill would be devastating to that process." 

A chef on Quora similarly speculated that "... my guess would be that they don't see the need to complicate their operation." He posits that In-N-Out quality standards would prevent them from serving pre-cooked bacon or cooking bacon in anything less than a convection oven. "... installing one in every restaurant just to cook bacon would be a waste of space and resources," he explained. Grilling wouldn't work for a host of reasons including cross-contamination and gumming up burger production.

It would basically be a logistical nightmare. Which is why In-N-Out, as plainly stated by their spokesperson, will in all likelihood "... remain committed to serving the same fresh, cooked-to-order burgers and french fries that our founders, Harry and Esther Snyder, began serving in 1948." An excellent reason to reacquaint yourself with what you can still order from In-N-Out's original menu.