In-N-Out's Houston War
In-N-Out Burger can't win this fight: High-end Houston chef takes the battle to LA with hilarious results
Underbelly's Chris Shepherd and Ryan Lachaine looked tough as hell Monday afternoon as they devoured a couple of Double Doubles at an In-N-Out Burger in Los Angeles — and they have the Twitpic to prove it.
Donning In-N-Out paper caps, the pair busted out a Houston-style slap in the face to the West Coast fast food giant, which issued a cease-and-desist letter last week to have Underbelly change the name of its $14 lunch burger called the "UB Double Double."
Shepherd, who'd never tasted an In-N-Out Double-Double, took the legal action in stride and complied with the demand by announcing that his Underbelly favorite would henceforth be known as the "Cease and Desist Burger." In the end, the good sportsmanship and joke name landed the restaurant some nice national press, thanks to the Time magazine and MSN.
The Underbelly duo were in LA for Eater's annual Young Guns gala, during which sous chef Ryan Lachaine was honored along with 14 other rising stars in the nation's food scene.
As for a review of In-N-Out's trademarked Double Double, Shepherd tells Eater it was "delicious" while reporting that the staff was quite cordial and helped make for a "great experience."
