Beloved burger, fast-food chain makes a drastic menu change
The iconic restaurant is trying something new.
It's not exactly a uniquely American experience to visit your local fast-food joint to pass the time and pick up a meal, but it sure is tradition.
Fast-food locales originated in the U.S., around the time when cars began to hit the mainstream in the 1920s.
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It's hard to believe that restaurants like White Castle and McDonald's are around a century old, but these are brands that have diligently adapted to changing times and moods, no matter the economic circumstances.
With the advent of the car, for example, many opened drive-thrus, giving people access to fast food on the go.
After World War II, many restaurants like KFC, Burger King, and McDonald's expanded rapidly for a growing population by rolling out franchise models.
In the 1980s and 1990s, bigger fast-food joints offered more menu items aimed at changing consumer taste; kids' meals, salads, desserts, and breakfasts became more common.
And during economic downturns, many fast-food restaurants adapted by offering better value meals.
After all, it's hard to beat the value of McDonald's $5 Meal Deal or its Buy One, Add One for $1 deal. Image Source: Trent Garverick from Pixabay
Consumer tastes change fast food
Changes in customer tastes and habits have helped to shape the world of fast food for decades.
Nowadays, most of us prefer to customize our own meals.
That's why restaurants like Chipotle and Starbucks offer over 70,000 different combinations across their menus.
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And, of course, most restaurants have their own apps now, where customers rarely need to go in person and can order on the go if they choose.
But another growing consumer trend — health and ingredient transparency — has been bubbling into the mainstream. And while some fast-food joints have been resistant to embrace it, some are getting with the times.
Popular burger chain makes healthy new changes
And now, In-N-Out is changing its menu to adapt to new consumer demands.
The California-based burger chain famous for its special sauce and Animal Style burgers, announced it will make several major changes to its menu.
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Those changes are:
- Removing artificial coloring: Replacing dyes in strawberry milkshakes and pink lemonade with plant, mineral, or animal-based colorants.
- Removing high fructose corn syrup: Replacing ketchup that contains high fructose corn syrup with Simply Heinz ketchup.
The changes are a part of In-N-Out's broader commitment to ingredient quality over lowest-possible prices.
In-N-Out rarely makes menu changes; the last major one was in 2023 when it finally brought Cherry Coke into restaurants.
"The [founding] Snyder family has always believed that when it comes to the ingredients we serve at In-N-Out, it’s not about the cost — it’s about the quality," In-N-Out COO Denny Warnick said in a memo posted to Reddit.
