Here for the milkshakes and animal style fries

BY: V. Rhodes

EAT AT THE CALIFORNIA BUGER JOINT FEATURED IN THE O.C.

Although much of the clothes, food and drinks are too expensive for the average fan looking to recreate life in The O.C., we’ve found something that might peak your interest. In-N-Out Burger! 

For those of you who don’t know the great California fast food institution that is In-N-Out, let me explain. In-N-Out is a 70 year old fast food restaurant serving burgers, fries, soft drinks and milkshakes. And that's it. The menu has virtually been unchanged since it’s opening in 1948. The stores even still have a classic 50’s diners aesthetic right down to the little hats the employees wear. 

It is famous for it’s cheap eats, secret menu items (more on the secret menu later), and celeb status. Think of your fav star living in Hollywood, I’ll bet if you type their name into google followed by “In-N-Out”, you’ll find something. Even lux events like the Vanity Fair Oscars After-Party has a long standing tradition of serving In-N-Out burgers! 

Because In-N-Out has never franchised like other fast food chains, there are significantly less locations and therefore it is such a novelty to eat here! You can really only find In-N-Out in California, and a couple places in Texas and Nevada. But primarily, In-N-Out is the fast food face for the state of California. 

A show set in Orange County? Of course they eat here! Throughout the show you can see Ryan, Seth, Summer and Marrissa (Ben Mckenzie, Adam Brody, Rachel Bilson and Misha Barton respectively) all eating this California staple. 

s01e02 - The Model Home

When Ryan (Ben Mckenzie) tries to run away from the Cohan’s, Seth (Adam Brody) and Marissa (Misha Barton) decide to hide Ryan in one of the model homes owned by Seth’s mom’s company, The Newport Group. What better dinner for a stowaway? In-N-Out. In the scene where Ryan, Seth, and Marissa are hanging out by the half-finished pool, the white and red branding of In-N-Out is everywhere! Marissa is even throwing fries at Seth. Girl, don’t waste them - I’ll happily finish the leftovers!

s02e09 - The ex-factor

Ryan (Ben Mckenzie) tries to encourage his current girlfriend, Lindsay (Shannon Lucio) to be friends with his ex-girlfriend Marissa (Misha Barton) and her best friend Summer (Rachel Bilson). In this scene, Marissa and Summer are sitting down for lunch with their bags of In-N-Out takeout. Lindsay, who is already insecure, makes a comment about how much time of the elliptical it will take for the girls to work off those burgers and fries. Summer replies “Coop, exercising? Now that's funny.” Poor Lindsay, I feel you, but get yourself some fries if it makes you happy!

s03e25 - The Graduates

On Marissa’s last night before leaving to meet her dad in Hawaii, the core-four decide to spend it together. They head back to the abandoned model home from season one, and have a private pool party. It’s such a fantastic send off for these characters, and for their relationships that grew over the past three years. I’ll leave this post spoiler free for the season three finale, but lets just say - it was the perfect calm before the storm. This scene is especially cute. They eat fries and admit things the other characters didn’t know about themselves.

The Secret Menu

And now for the secret menu items we promised! The In-N-Out secret menu (or not so secret anymore) are items that aren't listed on the menu boards, but that you can order either in store or drive-thru. Since becoming so popular, In-N-Out now publishes the full secret menu on their website. 

There are a bunch of fantastic lists made by local foodies stating which secret items are the best (Thrillist, Eat This, Spoon University). We’re not going to reinvent the wheel here, we’re just going to tell you our top three. 

#1 Animal Style

Do you like grilled onions, cheese and thousand island dressing? Then welcome to the animal style party! Essentially it is a regular burger but with added grilled onions, melted cheese and thousand island dressing. If you think that sounds messy, you are very much right! You can also order fries the same way. Animal style fries are maybe even better than an animal style burger. This is not only our favourite secret menu item, but it’s also the most famous.

#2 Protein Style

This type of burger isn’t for everyone and is specifically not for people that like bread. Protein style burgers are the same as regular burgers, except the buns are replaced with lettuce. You might be thinking, “Oh dear God, why would anyone want that!?” This is a great option for people with gluten or wheat sensitivities, or for people on a keto diet. I personally love ordering a protein style burger. I usually order 2 or 3, because without the bread they are a lot less filling. 

#3 Grilled Cheese 

For the longest time, vegetarians had gotten used to going to a fast food joint and only being able to order french fries. In the last decade dietary restrictions have become much more common, and therefore restaurants have made accommodations. At In-N-Out, you can order a grilled cheese! It’s like a burger, but without the patty. You get extra cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and onions all grilled between two buns. And yes, you can get this animal style as well. 

WHICH WAS YOUR FAVOURITE thing to order? LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS!

LOVE IT? PIN IT!

Image Credit:

All The O.C. (2003-2007) images were screen-grabbed directly from the DVD box set “The O.C.: The Complete Series Collection”. All rights reserved to Warner Bros. Television. All other photos taken by The FilmTripper.

References:

1. In-N-Out

2. Miller, Jeff. “In-N-Out’s Secret Menu, Ranked.” Thrillist, 19 August, 2015.

3. Miller, Julie. “Inside the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party With Brad Pitt, Billie Eilish, and Kim Kardashian West.” Vanity Fair / Hollywood, 10 February, 2020.

4. Roberts, Kaley. “Secret In-N-Out Menu Items You Have to Try at Least Once.” Eat This, 9 October, 2020.

5. Willey, Catherine. “Everything You Need To Know About the In-N-Out Secret Menu.” Spoon University.