Did you know that In-N-Out has their own speciality coin? Yes, you read that correctly. If you’re an In-N-Out superfan or avid coin collector, you probably already knew this. Customers go to great lengths to try to get their hands on these coins. That’s why when Reddit user u/Desert_AZ-finds saw a lady in front of them in line with one, they had to act fast.
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“Lady in front of me was about to use this coin for a burger,” u/Desert_AZ-finds wrote in the header along with two photos of their meal in the r/innout subreddit. “So I offered to buy her meal for the [coin emoji.]”
Was the Redditor successful? Apparently so, according to the images included in the post, which has 1,738 upvotes.
In the first photo, the metal coin is propped up by a cheeseburger. The iconic rectangular arrow logo with the words “In-N-Out” is carved in it. The next photo is the zoomed-out version of the photo, showing the entire order—a burger, fries, drink, and four cups of ketchup.
Users want these coins
Commenters shared how lucky the poster was to stumble upon one of these.
“I want one of these coins! So lucky,” one user wrote.
“Hell yeah! I’d easily buy hers and her 3 kids’ meals on the spot for one of those,” another commented.
A third believed this was a win-win for everyone.
“In n out plays 4D chess with these coins. Like seriously, they give you a free meal but instead of providing a cheap paper voucher they instead pay a little extra for a metal coin,” they remarked. “The result? most people never actually use them. So in the long run they probably save way more money than if they instead gave out cheapo paper vouchers.”
“Wtf?! Where do you get these?!” a fourth asked.
In-N-Out coin origin story
According to SFGate, the creation of the burger coin dates back to 1958. Founder Harry Snyder used these to spread the word about the three restaurant locations he opened up.
“A large coin doesn’t go away, it doesn’t fade, it serves as a constant reminder that you haven’t spent it yet, and it reminds you of where, when, and how you acquired it,” an excerpt from Lynsi Snyder’s book, “The Ins-n-Outs of In-N-Out Burger,” reads per SFGATE.
Snyder is Harry Snyder’s granddaughter as well as the current owner and president of In-N-Out.
She reportedly continued, “And potential customers were inclined to make that first visit to the store to spend that coin. From that point on, Harry hoped they’d be a customer for life.”
These coins never expire and can be used on for any menu item.
How do get your hands on one?
Furthermore, this begs the question: How does one acquire an In-N-Out coin? There are several rumors about how one obtains this sought-out item. When a new location opens up, you can allegedly receive one by being their first customer.
“We don’t really celebrate or advertise new store openings, however, it’s our tradition to welcome our first customer with a special In-N-Out Burger coin as well as a T-shirt, and the meal that day is on us,” Denny Warnick shared with the Eureka Times-Standard in 2020, the day before the grand opening of a new California location.
Staffers may also have further opportunities to receive them, like when they get promoted to store manager or get rewarded for a job well done.
There is a third option, but it might be a bit pricy: eBay. A pack of six can cost you $1,666!
The Daily Dot reached out to u/Desert_AZ-finds via Reddit comment and direct message. The Daily Dot also reached out to In-N-Out via media contact.
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