What If In-N-Out Burger Met Disneyland?

Mrs. DisneylandTraveler comes up with good ones sometimes. We're walking around Disneyland or DCA and she'll get a moment of frustration that usually ends with "Why couldn't they (meaning Disney) just - _________ (fill in the blank)". We're all probably guilty of the same thing I'm sure. Every fan of Disneyland thinks they have a better idea. Like -

We're in our 5th hour of camping out a spot waiting for Fantasmic when Mrs. DLT says "I don't know why they just couldn't build seating like they do when there is a movie premier in the park?" It's a good question. Of course the answer is Disneyland is space challenged and there is no room for any kind of permanent Fantasmic seating. To which Mrs. DLT may respond "Well this is Disney, they can do anything, why not just have the seats raise out of the ground before showtime?" Well, this is Disney, almost anything can be done but it all cost $$$$ - lots of it.

She'll apply same question when waiting for World of Color over in DCA. Since the viewing area of WOC is new she'll ask the question again "Why didn't they just build some seating?" The same answers apply not to mention that empty seats during the day are pretty much of an eye-sore. But I understand her point. You wait to get into your section. You show up early so you can get the best viewing spot. After waiting there, you are ushered into your section where you begin waiting again. Many hit the ground and sit on the concrete. Been there, done that. At this point of our lives, Mrs. DLT and I have retired from sitting on concrete. It's for the younger and more nimble.

So you've had hours upon hours of park activity culminating in watching World of Color in DCA. You are dog tired and ready to get back to your hotel. World of Color sits at the back of DCA and so begins that slow march to the exits with the dispersing throng. So Mrs. DLT comes up with "Why didn't they build an around park transportation system like the Disneyland Railroad?" I really don't have an answer for that one because an around DCA transportation system would be welcomed and probably needed. Probably because nothing seems more boring in a theme than a slow moving transportation system. You could hardly build a summer marketing campaign around something like that. Besides, DCA still has a bit more room to expand if they wanted to. The boundaries are not set in stone.

Here's the big one. After so many trips to Disneyland and so many meals, Mrs. DLT and I pretty much know what to eat, where to eat, and what to stay away from. Chances of getting a really good burger at Disneyland is rare because they cook the living daylights out of the things for health and sanitary reasons. A breakout of e-coli would not look good. So what you end up with is a burger that is something approaching the consistency of shoe leather. Disney has gotten wise over the years covering their horrible burgers with chili (Hungry Bear), pastrami (Village Haus), and blue cheese (Taste Pilot's Grill) and for some people that has helped out. But Mrs. DLT asks the question "Why couldn't Disney just put an In-N-Out Burger in here, after all, they now have a Starbucks and they used to have a McDonalds in the park?". For those who don't know, In-N-Our Burger is a Southern California legend making perhaps the best fast food cheeseburger you will ever have at a price that is actually below affordable. And that's all they serve - burgers and fries (though you can get them to make you a grilled cheese that is not on the menu). And don't ask for bacon or avocado or any of that - not an option at In-N-Out. If you ask someone who grew up in Southern California but has moved on to other parts of the country "What's the first thing you want to do when you get off a plane?" 9 out of 10 will tell you "I need to go to In-N-Out".

Which gets back to Mrs. DLT's question why not put an In-N-Out in Disneyland? Well people would be taken aback when that double-double (double meet, double cheese) that is less than $4.00 outside the park is now about $9.00. The other reason I tell her - if you think that 2 or 3 hour wait to get on Radiator Springs Racers is bad, how would you like to have the same wait for a burger. "Where's the end of the In-N-Out line?"  

"It's a couple of hundred yards down that way."