Finished up In-N-Out by Stacy Perman – I bought a copy for a friend a while back but when I saw it at the bookstore recently I couldn’t resist picking up a copy for myself. For the uninitiated, In-N-Out is a Southern California hamburger chain that is known for fresh burgers, quality food and great people. The family-owned business is extremely simple and remains faithful to the original little hamburger stand. Went there for lunch with the team, not coincidentally.

Anyhow, it is a lengthy book. I’m a huge In-N-Out fan but got bogged down with so many names and details – I wish the book was a hundred pages shorter – I motored through it because it is quite the tale. Why are there crossed palm trees in the front lawn of every store? What’s the story behind the Scripture verses on the bottom of every cup? With such amazing food, why are they limited to locations in just a handful of states after all these years? The book answers all of those questions, and fills you in on the ups and downs of family-run business. It also pounded again and again in the message of simple. I love how In-N-Out takes care of their people, and likes to let their product do the talking.

JG