*In-N-Out Burger has taken a hit, dropping to fourth place in USA Today’s 2025 fast food burger poll, trailing behind Habit Burger & Grill, A&W, and Jack in the Box.
As we reported earlier, the reader-driven survey, featuring ten editor-selected chains, crowned Habit’s Double Char as the top burger, with A&W’s Papa Burger and Jack in the Box’s Jumbo Jack rounding out the podium. This shift underscores the intense competition among burger chains, with Culver’s, Five Guys, and Shake Shack also surpassing In-N-Out.
Habit Burger & Grill seized the moment to poke fun at its rival, updating a 2024 billboard near Los Angeles International Airport that once read, “Congrats on #2, In-N-Out.” The new sign crosses out “#2” in red, replacing it with “#4” in Sharpie-style font to highlight Habit’s repeat victory, SF Gate reports.
“We congratulated In-N-Out on being #2 last year with a billboard,” said Jack Hinchliffe, Habit’s chief marketing officer. “This year, we were going to send a gift but couldn’t afford the postage to Tennessee, so we saved a few bucks and reused the same billboard.”
The jab references In-N-Out’s recent struggles, including CEO Lynsi Snyder’s controversial remarks on the July 19 podcast “Relatable” with Allie Beth Stuckey, where she stated, “There’s a lot of great things about California, but raising a family is not easy here. Doing business is not easy here.”
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Her comments, alongside plans to relocate her family to Tennessee and establish a split headquarters, sparked criticism online, with some on Reddit and Instagram calling for a boycott, labeling her remarks hypocritical.
In-N-Out claimed the top spot in Yelp’s 2025 ranking of America’s top 25 burger chains, celebrated on International Burger Day, May 28. Yelp praised In-N-Out’s “legendary status” for its fresh ingredients and consistent menu across over 400 locations.
Meanwhile, Habit Burger is expanding, with a new Ukiah, California, location set for early 2026, as confirmed by Kathy Kwon of Karsha Chang Public Relations. Local supervisor Mo Mulheren noted, “As a rural community, attracting businesses like Habit Burger and Hobby Lobby isn’t just about adding new shopping and dining options—it’s about creating opportunities for our local businesses to thrive.”
