Originally Posted by
nkedel
I'll usually choose McD's over In'n'Out, but not for the burgers -- if I want a burger, In'n'Out is an easy better choice (although these days I generally skip fast food burgers and go for diner.) The basic dollar-menu thin patty single burgers and McDouble at McD's are OK and nicely cheap; the "premium" burgers are never worth it.
OTOH, they have a much broader menu than In'n'Out, and the breakfast are better than most of the cheaper local diners (let alone Denny's) whereas In'n'Out is a one trick pony and ultimately still fast food.
It is a little surprising to me that In-N-Out has stuck with only hamburgers. You'd think they might offer a "burger" with another type of meat -- like chicken. But, obviously, their burger-only strategy "works" for them, so I guess they feel no need to change it.
From a business perspective, I think it's very smart that In-N-Out doesn't do promotions -- the price is the price, and there's no way to game the system. As you observe, the McDonalds menu is gameable. Like a McDouble is now usually less than 1/3 the price of a quarter-pounder (the only reason I was willing to try a quarter-pounder was that I was eating with my son, and they had a 2-for-1 promo). That pricing obviously makes no sense. Of course, a majority of their customers can't do the math or don't care.
I would disagree that McDonald's breakfasts are better than local diners, but if you game their menu, it can offer excellent value. I was just in Hawaii with my family of 4 and didn't want to ring up a $100 breakfast tab. We could certainly have gamed the McDonalds' menu and run up less than $10. But you can game Denny's menu, too: a "value slam" of 2 pancakes, 2 eggs and bacon is only $4. More expensive that McDonalds, but also tastier, too.