Your TL;DR Guide to Los Angeles
Southern California and In-N-Out go together like, well, burgers and fries. It’s a quintessential SoCal experience.
As a California local who has spent way too much time at In-N-Out, I recently learned that the franchise had a company retail store in Baldwin Park.
Once upon a time, stores carried a select stock (and maybe still do, I don’t really know), but either way the L.A. County store has a whole selection of things to choose from.
Naturally, upon learning this important information, I made the trek to this Baldwin Park location and am thrilled to share a little bit about that experience.
Before I forget, today’s post is all about In-N-Out but I also wanted to give a special shoutout to Mas Cafecito. Mas Cafecito is a small coffeeshop located across the street. It’s delicious and the perfect place to refuel while driving around L.A. It really rounded out my L.A. day, so I had to include a little blurb about it!
What Makes the Baldwin Park In-N-Out Special
In-N-Out first opened its doors (windows?) in 1948 in Baldwin Park, Los Angeles – which makes it the first drive-thru in California. (Fun random fact I just learned, the first drive thru restaurant was opened in Missouri in 1947).
Today, Baldwin Park’s location serves as a flagship store for the now iconic chain. In addition to a normal in-n-out (which has both the drive-thru and indoor/outdoor seating), guests can also find In-N-Out University (not open to the public) and the Company Store (open to the public).
The Baldwin Park In-N-Out you can visit today is not the original. Just down the street (on the other side of the freeway) you can visit a replica of the original. But more on that below.
The Logistics
At a Glance
Address: 13850 Francisquito Ave, Baldwin Park, CA 91706
Located At this Address: Company Store, In-N-Out Restaurant, In-N-Out University
Parking: Free (but limited)
Hours:
Store: 10AM-5PM (Monday-Saturday)
Restaurant: 10:30AM-1:00AM/1:30AM
Both the store and restaurant are open to the public. The University is a private building where managers and other staff members get training for the job. So, since I’m not an In-N-Out manager, I wasn’t able to check-out the interior of the building. But fun fact: I did learn that the Snyders (In-N-Out’s founders) former home was located where the University is today.
The Company Store
Located on one corner of the University sits the Company Store.
The staff were incredibly friendly, offering to grab anything and everything I was looking at.
The merchandise is nostalgically California with beach scenes galore. There was a wide variety of things to check-out, from In-N-Out baseball jerseys, caps, shirts, and Christmas sweaters – among so much more.
You can also find a nice selection of the annual collector’s shirts, which make for a fun souvenir grab.
Quality-wise, most of the items were decent but definitely on the cheaper side of materials. The stitching on most items looked okay, but I wouldn’t expect an incredibly luxurious item. But likewise, the prices matched the quality so it was easy to grab a shirt and some stickers without doing too much damage to my bank account.
You can preview the prices and check-out the selection by visiting their online store here. But, I believe it’s definitely worth visiting in person because there were items in the store I couldn’t find online.
The Original In-N-Out
At a Glance
Address: 13766 Francisquito Ave, Baldwin Park, CA 91706
Hours: 10AM-5PM (Monday-Saturday)
Parking: Free
Museum Fee: Free
Reservations: Not Required
What to Expect at the In-N-Out Museum
While driving around, we spotted a small In-N-Out shack just off the side of the road. So, of course, we just had to check it out.
Prepared with nothing but curiosity, we pulled into the small lot not really sure what exactly we were doing. A lone man (an employee, not just a random man), stood in the shack and started to smile and greet us. And a little sign let us know we had entered the In-N-Out museum.
A replica of the original In-N-Out, the small building is a little museum where guests can get a little education on In-N-Out’s history.
You can also get out and get a ton of cute, vibe-y photos that will look beautiful on a Pinterest feed.
A few things to know – you cannot actually order food here. And you cannot drive on the stone driveway pictured here.
Whether you live in or are just-visiting Southern California, the Baldwin Park In-N-Out is a unique tourist spot to give you the classic L.A. experience. If you’re in the market for some fun merch, want to visit an iconic eatery, or want a backdrop for your insta photos, Baldwin Park has something for you.
Have you been to the Baldwin Park In-N-Out? What was your experience like?
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