Are burger wars in Texas heating up? The answer is easier than ordering at In-N-Out

Used to be there were a few national burger chains and several locals in any town you drove through. But now? Everywhere you look there’s a burger doodle at the corner.

With 1 in 10 newcomers to the Lone Star State arriving from California, a new report says this migration is driving demand for one particular burger joint. Yeah, of course it’s In-N-Out Burger, which Californians swear by. In California courts, you probably don’t need to take an oath with a Bible before giving testimony. I imagine they’d rather you place your palm atop a printout of the “secret” In-N-Out Burger menu, the one with the good food on it.

According to Bloomberg News, one-tenth of all newcomers to Texas over the past three years came here from the Golden State. And this is leading to more In-N-Out Burger outlets. Bloomberg was citing data from Placer.ai, which monitors migration trends and data for retail, restaurant and mall operators, among others. Most of the people, and the burger spots, are landing in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Are these In-N-Outs the start of a burger war in Texas? I fear there has been one ongoing already, and we already can see some signs of skirmishes. McDonald’s and Burger King often are across the road from one another. Some places close, others open.

The casualties become the dining public.

Local burger joints have been going up against more than just McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s for some time. They have fans, even as they’ve faced chains like Jack in the Box, Sonic, Dairy Queen and, perhaps the biggest challenger to In-N-Out, Whataburger. Plus there’s Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell, and a ton of other fast-food spots. Mom-and-pop restaurants of all colors and stripes feel a bite from these chains, too. And even national sit-down eateries like Olive Garden and Texas Roadhouse are sprinkled in.

But In-N-Out? It has a cult-like following in California. The name, for sure, misstates the food and the speed with which you can get it. Getting in and out of In-N-Out isn’t easy. Not unlike the drive-thru lane at Chick-fil-A — which, at least, knows how to move a line quickly — the backup getting to just place an order at In-N-Out could be dozens of cars long.

And if you don’t have that “secret” menu pulled up on your phone when you get there, watch out. You may be relegated to what’s on the menu. The burgers are not bad, honestly, though they are nothing special to write home about. But the fries. They’re just, well, not good.

The chain claims it doesn’t have a secret menu. But fans would disagree, like the junkfoodblog.com and, yep, secretmenus.com, to name just two of the dozens out there.

Bloomberg noted most of the new Texans coming from California are moving to larger cities, along with the In-N-Out Burger outlets. They’re following the market, as they should.

I’d like to suggest to you to stick with our local spots and some of the longer-term chains. And remember, there are other regional burger joints opening up in Texas, and, perhaps, one day here, too.

So is there a burger war? Absolutely.

The casualties? They’re still in line at an In-N-Out up in Dallas.