FRANCISQUITO "IN N OUT" STORIES

                                                                                                                        In those early days, In-N-Out Burger also earned a following among Hollywood glitterati who happened to discover the stand with the red and white awning while traveling between Los Angeles and Palm Springs. During the 1950's, well-heeled and big name celebrities like Frank Sinatra, Kirk Douglas, Lucille Ball and Liberace liked to frolic at the desert resort that became known as the "Playground of the Stars." Many had second homes in Palm Springs. On their way to the desert or back to the city, stopping at In-N-Out to grab a burger became part of their routine.

During their brief marriage, Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds were known to visit often on their way to the desert. Once Esther Snyder recalled the time when singer Dinah Shore and her husband, George Montgomery, a stuntman and actor in Westerns, dropped in on their little In-N-Out joint on Francisquito. "They were having car problems, so Dinah came over to the house to watch her own TV show, while the car was getting fixed." she said.

After a friend introduced Bob Hope to In-N-Out, the legendary comedian became a lifelong fan. "More than anything, my dad loved an In-N-Out Burger," his daughter Linda Hope recalled. "He called them 'in and outers', and he needed to have his fix several times a week. He always got a cheeseburger and fries.

editorial excerpt from IN-N-OUT BURGER by Stacy Perman. Painting above by Richard Bunkall and commissioned by Haenel family of In-N-Out Burger.