Here's Why Momofuku's David Chang Thinks In-N-Out Fries Are 'Garbage'
Here's a tip for any In-N-Out employees: If David Chang comes into your restaurant, don't bother asking him if he wants fries with his order, because he most certainly does not. In-N-Out may have built their reputation on having great burgers and milkshakes, but their french fries don't seem to be winning them any accolades, at least not with popular chefs who have their own Netflix series. Chang apparently thinks that In-N-Out's fries are "total garbage." Ouch.
During an event at Vulture's culture festival, Chang was enjoying his "Animal Style" Double-Double when he tossed out the verbal dismissal of In-N-Out's french fried spuds. But why, David Chang? Why?
Chang thinks they're sacrificing quality for perceived freshness
According to Chang, In-N-Out is jeopardizing the quality of its fries by choosing to slice the whole potatoes in view of the customer, instead of frying bags of fries that have already been pre-cut and flash frozen, which is how McDonald's and a lot of other fast food joints serve their fries.
"You don't think they know their fries could be better? Of course they do," Chang revealed to the listening audience. "It's just science. For potatoes there's going to be a moment where it's the best moment for a potato to be a french fry. And they only come out of the ground once a year, right?" Chang did then attempt to give a little bit of kudos to In-N-Out for being so bold as to choose "performative freshness" over a better-tasting fry. "I think it's amazing that they can take a loss right off the bat because they're priming you for the whole experience," he said.
Who wants an order of fries that look like they're as fresh as possible but don't taste particularly fresh? Apparently, quite a few people on Twitter share Chang's views of In-N-Out's fries. "Would you rather eat In-N-Out fries or get polio?" one person asked. "Literally anything edible > In-N-Out fries," said another.
Perhaps this Twitter user has the right idea, "In-N-Out burger with McDonald's fries."