We recently took the family to In-N-Out for burgers.  This is one of the few restaurants we feel we can go to for a hamburger and fries with the whole family.  The hamburger buns and meat are dairy, egg and nut free.  The fries are safe there as well.  Because the menu is so simple, they are cooked in a dedicated fryer using sunflower oil.  The only dairy and egg that exist in the facility are in the cheese for the burgers and the sauce that goes on them.  It is currently a nut free facility.  And while we are not avoiding gluten, I have seen them send out burgers wrapped in lettuce, so I am assuming they try to accommodate those with wheat allergies or gluten intolerance as well.

Cross Contamination at In-N-Out?

We always tell the staff about our food allergies when we order and they have been good about cleaning off the area where they prepare the burger and making sure it is separate from the other food.  You can also request that they change their gloves when preparing your food. I recognize that every time we put our food in someone else’s hands, we are taking a risk, and that may be a risk worth taking for some, but not for others depending on the allergy and its severity.  So far, our local In-N-Out has been a positive experience for us every time.  We still check the burger to be sure they got it right, of course, but our local In-and-Out staff has been very on top of it.

Don’t drive away without your burger!

The only time we had a problem was in the drive through when my husband drove away before they handed us the allergy-friendly burger separately, and that was entirely our fault, not theirs!  I love that they prepare and wrap the allergy burger separately. However, it was a reminder that when ordering with food allergies, we need to especially double check orders when doing take out.  No one wants to drive back to get the rest of the order or to fix a mistake.

Where can you find In-N-Out?

If you live in California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Texas or Oregon you should be able to find an In-N-Out .  Check out their allergy menu.  And remember that the hamburgers are marked as containing egg because of the spread.  Take out the spread and you take out the egg factor.  Their burgers are amazing, so you are not even compromising for this meal!