In N Out may be coming to New Mexico (Albuquerque: restaurants, dangerous)
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They were different. When I was much younger we would drive from Miami to New York City every summer. It was a 3 to 4 day drive each way. I remember all the eating places we would pass. White Castle was one I remember stopping at...
"Back in the day" in South Florida they had Royal Castle. The area's answer to White Castle, with the small burgers with dehydrated onions and killer buns and pickles. And hand-squeezed Fla. OJ in frosted mugs. Hope you remember those from Miami. ... Royal Castle eventually became just another Burger King-style chain, a pity.
Dunno if White Castle went south as well. I liked those little burgers the few times I tried 'em in the '70s.
I can't put my finger on exactly why In-n-out doesn't taste as great to me at this age as it did decades ago, but I think it comes down to more sophisticated tastes and a true gourmet burger industry. Five guys was delicious the first time I had it and now I find their burgers so unappetizing that I simply order other stuff if I can't go elsewhere.
I will say In-n-out runs a tight ship in terms of cleanliness and customer service skills. I think they pay way better for the areas they're in and that keeps their staff well-trained and loyal. I think there was a sign outside of one in California that said "starting pay $18/hr" and I bet it would stay up if a half-dozen people got jobs there.
Keeping Carl's Jr., Freddy's, Five Guys, Sonic, Wendy's, Burger King, and esp. McDonalds on their toes will probably be the greatest dividend of In-n-out moving here. McDonald's in particular seems to be slipping nationwide in their cleanliness and customer service skills in the past couple of years.
Keeping Carl's Jr., Freddy's, Five Guys, Sonic, Wendy's, Burger King, and esp. McDonalds on their toes will probably be the greatest dividend of In-n-out moving here. McDonald's in particular seems to be slipping nationwide in their cleanliness and customer service skills in the past couple of years.
Freddy's is great.
Wendy's just went down hill since it's recent ownership. Bad food already at two of our local Wendy's...
The wife and I have mixed feeling at some of the McDonald's...
I think there was a sign outside of one in California that said "starting pay $18/hr" and I bet it would stay up if a half-dozen people got jobs there.
Damn. I am now in middle age, but my career is seasonal. I'd flip burgers for a few months in the off-season at that wage!
Of course $18/hr = $10/hr in New Mexico, so... no I probably wouldn't. :-)
This makes sense, I guess. I grew up in White Castle country and never understood why people ate those things.
Ugh, Me too... That's where the term "slider" came from -- onion infused grease-ball burger that slid past your tonsils. But everyone flocked to get them and you could buy them in the grocery store.
Back in the day, I preferred Steak n Shake but the closest one to here is in Tucson, Lubbock or Colorado Springs...I checked.
Back in the day, I preferred Steak n Shake but the closest one to here is in Tucson, Lubbock or Colorado Springs...I checked.
I bet each of those locations is newer; we may not be far from our first.
Steak n shake, in case you've never had one, is decidedly more on the Fuddruckers/Owl Cafe/Route 66 Diner side of the hamburger spectrum. Always enjoy eating there, though getting stuff to go has gone horribly wrong a number of times.
Damn. I am now in middle age, but my career is seasonal. I'd flip burgers for a few months in the off-season at that wage!
Of course $18/hr = $10/hr in New Mexico, so... no I probably wouldn't. :-)
Actually, using cost of living numbers, try $6/hr in New Mexico. This was in Santa Clara, with a cost of living index of 293.0. Albuquerque's is about 96.0.
I tried In-N-Out for the first time recently in California. It was the most disappointing and tasteless meal I'd had in a long time. What is all the fuss about? Aren't there enough burger joints already here, and better than this?
I'm in Phoenix right now and I like that I get to enjoy an In-N-Out burger every now and again...I really like them "animal style" which has some kind of oniony thousand island sauce thing going on. But if you think they are not good, then I'm really super interested in where you get a burger you really like! I would like to try that burger!
Blake's Lotaburger was founded in 1952 by Blake Chanslor, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Blake's has 75 locations, most of them in New Mexico, with several locations in Tucson, Arizona and Texas. All Blake's Lotaburger restaurants are company-owned.
We have Blake's Lotaburger here now... They have been here a long time... There is no In-N-Out currently in New Mexico...
I loved Lotaburger as a teen. On Friday nights we would play basketball for 2 hours. After that, we ordered Lotaburgers and fries and watched a VCR movie (think Halloween films of the early 80s like "Friday the 13th", the "Howling" or "The Fog" - LOL).
The main problem with Lotaburger is that it's just not healthy. I could "sort of" get away with eating that food as a growing, hypermetabolic teenager. But now in deep middle age it's dangerous to eat food like that. I could probably eat only half the Lotaburger without the sauce (except mustard or ketchup) and an extra-small side order of fries. Diabetes is a problem in much of NM for older adults. But I miss those Lotaburgers of my teens when I could eat it without feeling guilty about cholesterol and blood sugar counts after two hours of full-court basketball with cross-country runners at higher altitude.
As for In-N-Out, it's popular here in Phoenix. I have never gone there though. I prefer Wendy's for burgers and salad. I can't really eat fries anymore for reasons noted above.
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