On Sunday afternoon in a Bergen County suburb, food influencer Grace Lewis turned her parents’ kitchen into a makeshift West Coast drive-thru. Her parents, both lifelong New Jersey residents, have never visited an In-N-Out. Lewis documented the process of recreating the California chain’s burgers, fries, and shakes from scratch.
The effort included hand-formed beef patties, house-made buns, and a version of the restaurant’s signature sauce. According to a series of posts on her social media, the meal took several hours to prepare. Lewis used a griddle for the burgers and baked the buns in her home oven. She also prepared crinkle-cut fries, aiming for a texture close to the original.
The project comes as regional fast food chains remain largely absent from New York and New Jersey. In-N-Out, with all locations west of Texas, is a frequent topic among East Coast diners. Last summer, an In-N-Out pop-up in Manhattan drew long lines, but permanent expansion remains unlikely.
Lewis says her motivation was her parents’ curiosity about the brand. The taste test, filmed in their backyard, showed her family comparing the meal to local favorites. For now, the closest East Coast option remains homemade or an occasional pop-up.