In-N-Out Burger is no longer California’s favorite fast food joint. Which brand took the top spot?

In-N-Out Burger has long been considered a California institution, with many polls ranking the West Coast institution as the No. 1 in the fans’ hearts. However, a recent surprise poll revealed that the burger giant is no longer the No. 1 in California. So which fast food bar is now on top?

McDonald’s Bumps In-N-Out Burger

BetCalifornia recently conducted a survey of the best fast food places in California, according to fans. The Golden State is where restaurants like Carl’s Jr., Taco Bell, In-N-Out Burger, McDonald’s and Jack in the Box first opened.

It should come as no surprise that four of these California-born brands top the state’s fast food rankings, given the inherent ties between these restaurants and the state as a whole.

The outlet researched the most popular fast food chains among Californians by analyzing their search results from July 11, 2023 to July 11, 2024 ahead of Fast Food Day, which took place on November 16. With search interest totaling three points, the Golden Arches of McDonald’s beat out the other in-state brands with Taco Bell, In-N-Out and Jack in the Box each finishing with two search interest points in the relevant period. This year, the pioneer of modern fast food in California won.

In 2024, California’s top choice was the fast-food monolith, which started in San Bernadino in 1940. Taco Bell, which started in Downey, In-N-Out Burger, which started in Baldwin Park, and Jack in the Box of San Diego were the closest brands in the state.

The complete list of California’s best fast food brands this year includes California brands Carl’s Jr. and Del Taco, as well as a few familiar names like Chick-fil-A, Wendy’s, Chipotle, Burger King and KFC, all of which received search interest scores of one point each.

4 new locations in California

Despite no longer having the top location in the heart of California, In-N-Out Burger recently announced that they would be opening four new locations in the Golden State in the new year.

540 N. Euclid St. becomes Anaheim’s fourth ranking, according to ABC 7. The address of the second Oxnard location is 1700 E. Ventura Blvd. For Sylmar and Carson, it’s a first. 20512 Avalon Blvd. and 13864 Foothill Blvd. are the addresses for the Carson and Sylmar locations, respectively.

There is no set date for the grand openings, but ABC 7 reached out to In-N-Out Burger for more details. The additional locations are simply listed as “Opening Soon” on the company’s official website.

In addition, the official website states that two new locations in Idaho — one in Boise and one in Nampa — will “open soon,” with no specific opening date, as will the four new locations in California. In Arizona, near Phoenix, six more locations are opening. The announcement that In-N-Out Burger will partner with the Tough Mudder event in Big Bear, Calif., next year coincides with news of these additional sites.

The new site, debuting in Las Vegas, Nevada, is expected to be the largest location in the company’s history to date, eclipsing all of these other openings.

The third floor of The BLVD, a huge upcoming shopping complex on The Strip located at 3755 S. Las Vegas Blvd., will house the 15th Las Vegas storefront. With 2,500 square feet of outdoor space in addition to slightly more than 8,000 square feet of internal space for In-N-Out Burger, it will be one of the largest In-N-Out locations, if not the largest. In contrast, the original site, which is now a museum, was located in Baldwin Park, California, and was only 100 square feet.