"The Apple of the fast-food space"

Trust me, I've got nothing against fast food.

I don't consume a ton of it, but once in a while - maybe twice a year - nothing hits the spot like a Quarter Pounder and fries. Or equivalent.

So I'm sure I'd like an In-N-Out Burger just fine, if I found myself with the hankering for a burger while in one of the handful of Western states this outfit operate in.

I'm guessing they're a bit overhyped, and I'm guessing they are similar, quality and taste-wise, to Wendy's burgers, which, by fast food, standards, aren't bad. Or at least they weren't when I last had one, maybe 15 or 20 years back. So, In-N-Outies are probably okay. Maybe even a smidge better than okay.

But not anything that would make me wait in a drive-thru line for eight hours to get one, as happened a little before Christmas in Idaho, when the first In-N-Out in that state opened.

Eight hours! Eight hours????? 

Some fans decided to get ahead of the rush:

Fans of the Irvine, California-based chain camped out overnight in their cars while dozens stood patiently outside in the 30-something degree weather Monday night to try to beat the crowds at the fast-food restaurant’s long-awaited opening at The Village at Meridian. (Source: Idaho Statesman)

So, instead of getting in the long line day-of and having to endure an eight hour wait in the drive-thru line, some folks were willing to spend a cold and dark overnight, cramped in their cars. Others - maybe the three people in the state of Idaho who don't have cars - stood outside for hours, shivering away, waiting for the doors to open.

We're in serious WTF territory here.

Not that I never wait in a line.

In December, I stood in line at the Seaport Christmas Market for 45 minutes with two friends. Fortunately, it was mild out and, as we told ourselves, the point of our outing was really not to visit the Seaport Christmas Market but to catch up. And catching up while standing up in a snaking line works just fine.

But mostly, I never wait in line for anything. At least not for more than 45 minutes or so.

Let alone eight hours. For a hamburger. Make than hamburger+.

Tammy Taub, of Eagle, stood in line at a merchandise trailer in the parking lot during the opening, hoping to purchase a pair of In-N-Out sweatpants, while her brother, who arrived at around 8:30 a.m., still worked his way through the drive-thru line in his car, hours after arriving. “I like In-N-Out, but he’s very excited about it,” Taub said. “It’s definitely a thing. It’s like a phenomenon.”

Yes, Tammy Taub, if someone's willing to wait a long time for a hamburger, let alone purch some merch advertising said burger, "it's definitely a thing."

A number of the folks waiting for the big opening were from California, and were missing a taste of home. 

And some fans are fans because "In-N-Out prints Bible verses on its packaging."

On milkshake cups, you’ll find Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Soda cups display John 3:16 and burger wrappers Revelation 3:20. 

Oooo-kay.

Not for me, but whatever floateth your ark.

Everyone in Idaho isn't jumping for joy, however. 

Some are worried about increased traffic in an already busy area. And one non-patron even channeled her inner Maureen Rogers:

 “Who cares,” Whitney Laursen, of Boise, commented. “It’s a hamburger.” 

Yep. It's a burger, albeit one wrapped in Revelation 3:20 (Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If any of you hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with you. And you will eat with me.)

I first saw a reference to the Idaho opening on Twitter, and one commenter noted that In-N-Out is apparently "the Apple of the fast-food space."

Indeed, every time there's a new iPhone out, there are absolutely colossal lines queued for the doors at the Apple Store to open. But Apple's products are at least high quality and differentiated. Not that these are reasons to wait in a long line, when if you wait in the comfort of your home, or wherever you hang, you can go in in a few days without the wait. You may risk that the first day store allocation will sell out. But it's not as if Apple isn't going to make enough of the iPhone-n for everyone who wants them.

And In-N-Out probably isn't going to run out of burgers, either.

As Tammy Taub stated so eloquently, "It's definitely a thing." And a lot of folks want to be part of a "thing" that involves waiting in long lines. For the new version of the iPhone. To see the new spectacular movie on the first day of its release. To be one of the first people in Idaho to grab an In-N-Out burger.

I suspect that the experience of the wait is as valuable as the product itself.

Not my jam, but maybe if I lived in Idaho...