Yes, Tony, There Is More To LA Than In-N-Out
BREAKING (not): Anthony Bourdain loves In-N-Out. It’s his favorite spot in LA. Tony waxes poetic about its burgers any chance he gets. The latest is in a video by The Taste team where he pontificates:
In-N-Out burger achieves the perfect ratio of ‘maximum areas of meat surface to the papills of the tongue.’ And no offense Ludo, Nigella, and crew: ‘One of the reasons I look forward to doing The Taste is because as soon as I arrive, I’ll hit the airport In-N-Out.
In-N-Out Bliss for Tony (Photo: Travel Channel)
But why does he push the chain so much? Maybe it’s because he doesn’t think of LA in terms of restaurants. My post about his LA episode for the Layover highlighted how Bourdain misses that INK and a long list of other hot spots are actually highly sought-after dining experiences for Angelenos. Or maybe it’s to boost ratings for The Taste.
No. I argue he’s simply doing something in his self interest – promoting the ANTHONY BOURDAIN BRAND.
In the recent video, Tony says an Instagram photo of him, Christopher Walken, the Dali Lama and Keith Richards in a hot tub consuming an illegal substance would generate 5,000 “Likes” in an hour. Meantime, a shot of his beloved burger gets him 50,000 in 9 minutes. In other words, In-N-Out gives Tony the highest ROI for his marketing spend.
Fine. But I gotta warn you if I hear one more time about his Double Double Animal Style obsession, I’m gonna go vegan. That won’t be pretty. I’ll block off Sunset and La Brea holding signs reading, “Bourdain Fries In-N-Out.” Road rage will rage. Police will show up in riot gear to control already-fuming LA drivers. #BourdainIsNotInNout will trend on Twitter.
Please help me stop more chaos on our streets. Stop LIKING Tony’s burgers already!