11 Things Customers Complain About The Most At In-N-Out

The topic of which burger holds the crown for being the best can be a bit of a touchy subject. Everyone has opinions on which burger suits their fancy, claiming the title for the best, the juiciest burger, or the most perfectly cooked. It seems that for many reasons, In-N-Out is one of the top contenders on this list. With the restaurant having been around for over 70 years at this point, the reputation it has seemingly built, along with its cultlike following, is impressive.

As to why followers of the restaurant flock to its red and yellow sign when they notice a rumble in their tummy, it seems there are a few reasons. This was best illustrated when a poster on Facebook asked why the burger joint was so beloved, and comments became inundated with the In-N-Out fans. There were mentions of the chain's use of fresh ingredients, commitment to consistent quality, lower price points, and clean restaurants. With many of the comments rehashing the same points, it's clear that this is a burger joint that customers feel strongly about.

But, unfortunately, there are pros and cons to everything, restaurants included. Yes, this means that even with a restaurant as hyped up and backed by customers as In-N-Out, there are pain points that people complain about. To save you from wondering what, in the name of burgers, people could possibly be complaining about at In-N-Out, we have compiled a list for you.

For many customers, the fries are an important part of the fast food meal combination. Sure, the burger might be the star of the show, but the fries are no doubt extremely strong supporting characters. And according to many customers all over Reddit, Google reviews, and even other social media platforms, the general consensus is that, yes, In-N-Out's fries are bad. Even Hilary Duff, who has declared that In-N-Out would be her choice as a last meal, has specified that she would not order the fries in this hypothetical situation. If this doesn't give you red flags, then nothing will.

Now, the reason behind the fries tasting questionable (to put it lightly) is said to be due to the way they are prepared. The chain claims that it prepares fries the "old-fashioned way," on its website, citing that the potatoes are shipped from the farm to the store and cut into fries within the store. They are then cooked in 100% sunflower oil. Now, this might all sound well and dandy, but as many Redditors point out, there is a step missing that many other fast food chains do complete. Many restaurants cook fries twice, using a method to first cook them called blanching which fries them at a lower temperature first. While this is said to crisp the potatoes up, In-N-Out reportedly does not take part in this step, which could explain why the fries have a notable difference from other fast food joints.

Most of the posts online about the burger joint seem to really talk the place up. Customers seem to have not only been won over by the food, but truly committed to the company in general. With the amount of glowing reviews that are left for In-N-Out, you would think that upon arrival you would be met with valet parking and a gourmet meal, which actually is the source of one of the most common complaints. Due to all this hype and constant buildup for the restaurant, it seems that when people finally get around to trying the product, it oftentimes doesn't meet expectations.

It seems that there are groups of people that feel the burger just sits smack dab in the middle of being not necessarily bad, but certainly nothing to write home about. Others, both on Reddit and on Google reviews, feel that the entire experience was (please forgive us In-N-Out fans) "terrible." With the large following the In-N-Out chain has, this claim borders on the blasphemous, but we are just reporting the recent findings here, folks. As one comment on a Reddit thread puts it, oftentimes people fall into this hype trap, before realizing the food is just run-of-the-mill fast food.

The In-N-Out burger patties are simply thinner in general, with six patties created from 1 pound of meat. The reason for this is essentially so that the meat cooks faster, so that more patties can be churned out at a faster rate while maintaining a high standard for quality. While there are those who do complain about the patties being so thin in general, there is a group of complainers out there that think the patty might be a product of shrinkflation.

Now, it is important to point out that there appears to be no evidence posted by the restaurant itself to support this claim. It comes from the minds of customers who one day seem to squint their eyes at their burger, and then query the internet on social media as to whether the size has changed. Some of these claims stem from an update to the menu's calorie count, where several of the amounts decreased, including for the hamburger and cheeseburger.

However, there are an awful lot of posts putting the size into question. On each of these posts, though, there seems to always be several In-N-Out devotees who defend the franchise, claiming the restaurant would not do this. As one Redditor puts it, "as an employee, I can tell you honestly and confidently, our portion sizes have not changed at all."

Nobody enjoys waiting in a line, especially when they are already hungry, which makes this bugaboo an unsurprising addition to the list. Now, you might just be thinking that this is in reference to the lineups for new opening locations, which would be a fair (but inaccurate) assumption. No, unfortunately, customers report having to wait in lineups constantly at In-N-Out. As one review on Google puts it, "I do not understand the hype behind this 'junk food'...where it takes less time to eat an average hamburger than being in line to order it."

As to the amount of time that customers have needed to wait in lineups for their burger, there are varying experiences. One recent Reddit post reports a customer having to consistently wait between half an hour and even up to an hour for their order to be taken. The poster was so frustrated about this that they even mentioned, "I'm advocating for the opening of more locations so that the lines can at least be 20-30 minutes during a lunch and dinner rush instead of 40- 1 hour." This was not an isolated incident, with many others chiming in about having to wait in unpleasant lines in the comment section. Over on Google reviews, the experience seems to be no better. One customer even mentioned waiting in line for over 30 minutes only to be told the store was closing for the night and turned away without a burger.

Unless you are the type of person who enjoys the subversive pleasure of eating hot foods cold, you likely won't be overly impressed with a cold meal. Yet, this is the unfortunate situation that many customers seem to experience at In-N-Out. One Redditor estimated that her fries are cold about 20% of the time she visits the restaurant, while others in the Google reviews mention similar cold fry and burger experiences, with one even mentioning cold coffee. When you add in how long the wait time is normally, it's understandable how this might ruin the In-N-Out experience for some.

The good news here is that one post on Reddit should give In-N-Out customers who worry about cold food some reassurance. The poster asked how employees feel about cold food being returned, and the response was overwhelmingly that employees expect the food to be brought back. As one comment puts it, "As long as you communicate it respectfully (which it sounds like you did), we will fix it no problem. It is our fault that we didn't get it to you while your food was hot." So even if you do receive your food cold from the restaurant, be advised that you don't need to be a restaurant hero to get hot food — just be a good customer.

Although many customers mention that you can't go wrong with In-N-Out in their reviews, there are some others who disagree. Now, when you take into account how the restaurant sounds to be completely swamped with customers day and night, a little mix-up here and there is understandable. But from what customers are saying, order mix-ups are a common issue with the restaurant, with some mentioning it happens to them quite frequently.

When it comes to what exactly is going wrong with the orders, there is a little bit of everything. From bun mix-ups, to fries being forgotten, to toppings on burgers being switched all around, it seems this is one of the few fast food restaurants where there may be more ways to mix-up an order than there is options on the menu. Some comments mention being given the wrong order entirely, with one customer claiming that when they asked for the correct order, they were given a second wrong order. Talk about adding insult to injury.

It is important here to clarify that it seems the restaurant does its best to make things right for customers. Many say that if you do experience a problem like this with your order, you can call the number on the back of your receipt and let the restaurant know, or alternatively, make the manager aware. On Reddit and Facebook, customers who have experienced this and taken action share that they were given a coupon or gift card as compensation.

If you have ever found yourself wondering where to get a burger during breakfast food hours, and written off In-N-Out, then you'll want to think again. Although the chain certainly doesn't open as early as some restaurants, it does typically open earlier than its advertised time. The majority of these restaurant locations have 10:30 a.m. listed as their opening time, but it turns out that they often open before this. There are mentions of some stores opening as early as 9:45 a.m., with others opening their doors at about 10 a.m.. This has caused some people to turn to social media and ask some serious questions about why the company has never advertised this to make it public knowledge.

Now, if you get to your local In-N-Out at 10 a.m. and find the door remains locked, try not to panic. Based on comments from both Facebook and Reddit, it seems that the restaurant gives itself a half an hour window to prepare for opening in case the employees are running behind. Typically, if they are ready before 10:30 a.m. (and it seems that many locations often are based on the social media posts), then they open the doors early. If not, then you might see them waiting until the posted time. It seems the best way to handle this is to just go with the flow.

With such a dedicated following backing the restaurant, you would think that it would have restaurants popping up all over the U.S., but this is simply not the case. In 2024, there were actually only eight states in the U.S. with an In-N-Out location. As of 2026, there are now only 10 states that have restaurant locations, with California being the one with the most, boasting 289 of them. With such a cultlike following committed to these burgers, it's no shocker that one of the complaints about the eatery is that it is only available in certain states. One Redditor even posed the question of how to create a petition to have one of the restaurants built in their area.

As much of a complaint as this is, it seems that the company has a few reasons for being very selective about expanding locations. One big reason for this is that the company has a rule that dictates that all restaurants must only be within a 24-hour drive away from an In-N-Out storage warehouse. The goal of this is to maintain both the freshness and quality of its food. While this is an admirable method of showing its commitment, it does limit the business location-wise. Based on this stance, sadly, it seems those with this complaint will just need to keep on dreaming.

The entire perk of the drive-thru section at a fast food place is that there is a quick and efficient way for customers to grab food and go without even getting out of their car. Unfortunately, the In-N-Out drive-thru doesn't quite seem to capture this intention, with many customers complaining about their drive-thru experiences. Many times, customers on both Google reviews and Facebook say that they were waiting around 40 minutes for their food. Others claim they refuse to use the drive-thru option anymore, suggesting it sours their restaurant experience entirely.

On many different social media sites such as Facebook and Reddit, these unfortunate drive-thru experiences have led customers to ask for opinions on whether inside dining or the drive-thru is faster. Overall, the opinions of the comment section seem to lean toward inside dining being faster, though there are certainly those who disagree. Some also point out that the parking situation is a big reason why they opt for the drive-thru, even if there are wait times, because parking is jam-packed with cars. You will need to keep in mind that most of these factors will also be location-dependent, with some mentioning their choice differs depending on which spot they go to. 

With so many customers vehemently claiming they prefer heading inside the restaurant as opposed to falling asleep as they wait in the drive-thru, it should be no surprise that seating is a struggle at some locations. Even if some of the new locations do have both inside and outside seating options, this just doesn't seem to be enough to seat the crowds that flock to the restaurant. Although this is certainly a step up from when the restaurant first opened as a hamburger stand that only served customers with a drive-thru, it remains a top complaint.

Even people who thoroughly enjoy the food and rate the restaurant highly on Google reviews seem to complain that they have a hard time finding seating within the restaurant. Others also mention this is likely due to the tourists looking forward to grabbing In-N-Out while in the area. The seating seems to be so sparse in some locations that there are multiple reports of arguing with other diners over who gets the only available seat. Frankly, that's a whole lot of commotion over a table at a fast food joint.

There is a lot to love over at In-N-Out, but if you are a fan of using mayo on your burger, or maybe even to dip your fries in, you won't be satisfied unless you take alternate measures. Unfortunately, the restaurant in general only offers three different types of condiments according to its website, which are ketchup, mustard, and something they refer to as spread. While the combination has certainly captured the attention of many customers, with several copycat recipes popping up all over the internet, it also has become a bit of a bone of contention with the die-hard mayo lovers.

You see, to create this orange-colored signature sauce, which they call spread, the restaurant mixes ketchup, mustard, and mayo all together. While the chain does offer both ketchup and mustard individually, it fails to offer mayo. This seems to rile the mayo lovers a bit, since mayo must grace the restaurant's presence at some point to become one of the main ingredients of its trademark sauce. There are comments over on Google, Reddit, and Facebook that complain about the lack of mayo to begin with, but when you add this point to the equation, the mayo lovers are not impressed. Over on Reddit, some even mention going as far as bringing their own mayo packets for the food to ease the craving.