This is the first in a series creatively called "Mark's Favorite Brands", in which I talk about what I feel are the best consumer brands and companies on the scene today. Let the consumerism begin!
The two brands I'm presenting to you today are companies that both have their roots in California, both treat their employees exceedingly well, and both believe in selling high quality and fresh foods to their customers.
I'm speaking of course about Trader Joe's grocery stores and the IN-N-OUT burger. I have a sick obsession with IN-N-OUT and only having just recently discovered Trader Joe's I'm already completely enamored with it.
Trader Joe's, for those of you who haven't had the pleasure of visiting (yet, they're expanding quickly), is not your average grocer. When we think of grocery stores, we think of vast numbers of aisles filled with an endless array of products, each one of which is offered in a dizzying variety of brand names.
In fact, a trip to the grocery store has become just another tedious chore that we all have to face up every two weeks or so. When you compare this to the street markets so many other countries rely on to purchase fresh food, you start to become a little resentful of the so called "super" markets.
Going to the local Cub Foods is a trip I have come to dread, largely due to the fact that every time my girlfriend and I go we end up getting into some sort of tiff. The only consolation I have is seeing other couples arguing over the same stupid shit, like whether or not to buy Tomato & Basil or Tomato & Herb spaghetti sauce, like it really matters.
Until recently, I had much preferred shopping at Kowalski's than Cub, a local chain of grocery stores which are trying to offer better products, albeit at markedly higher prices. But even Kowalski's with all its fresh cheeses, olive bars, and sushi suffers from a bad case of "brand-itous". And besides, Cub and Rainbow are quickly following suit with all those offerings too.
It wasn't until I visited San Francisco this past week when that I learned there could be a better way to get groceries. And upon stepping into that relatively small Trader Joe's in Fisherman's Wharf, I knew immediately this would change the way I purchased food.
The first thing you notice is the lack of brand names. If you're looking for red barren pizza or kraft cheese, you're looking in the wrong place at TJ's. The vast majority of product offerings are sold under the Trader Joe's trademark (or under a clever ethnic variation on the name, such as Trader Jose's for Mexican food). For once I wouldn't be left flabbergasted as I tried to decide between Prego and Ragu . I also wouldn't get roped into these ridiculous this-many/this-much deals, as if I needed 20 Totinos Pizza vomit platters. There are no gimmicky sales at Joe's.
With the exhausting ordeal of picking between brands out of the way, you're free experience food buying the way it was meant to be; selecting food that looks like it might be really good to eat. Instead of offering Totinos pizzas, Trader Joe's has a wide variety of gourmet frozen pizzas, well beyond the simple choice of sausage, pepperoni, cheese, and supreme. They may not be 99 cents a pop, but they are much more reasonably priced than the higher quality pizzas at the super markets, and much more delicious.
Every where you go you're met with a unique selection of foods, which more often than not are organic, healthy, and full all the wonderful omega fatty acid anti-oxident vitaminastic protein fiber hoopla that's so popular today. I know it may sound like hype, and perhaps it's because I've been wanting somewhere else to do my grocery shopping for years now that wasn't a super market or co-op, but everything I have purchased from TJ's is just BETTER.
For instance, I love pistachios and I happen to be addicted to very spicy food. What to I find at the Joe's? Habenero pistachios which completely floored me. I'm also on a protein kick, mainly to help speed things along with "The Ultimate Lifting Routine", and to my delight protein seems to be a big selling point for Trader Joe's foods. I mean, where else can you buy flax seed soy based corn chips that taste better than Tostitos and have 7 grams of protein per serving. Yea.. we're talking CORN CHIPS here people.
They have everything that could possibly be on the distinguished diner's menu, from a superb selection of olive and olive oils to a wide variety of delicious coffees which, if the house blend is any indication, will give the best coffee producers a serious run for their money.
Now I said I experienced this in San Francisco, and Trader Joe's is a California based company. However, they are expanding quickly and a few have popped up here in Minnesota. Last week, in fact, I made my first major grocery run at TJ and for about the same price I spend at the super market I have enough food to last just as long, but at many times the quality. There's significantly less junk food in the cupboards because there aren't any clever marketing tools to get you to buy it. Eating and preparing meals has become a joy, almost as much so as actually buying the food.
But it's not just Trader Joe's products that I'm in love with. The company is a perfect example of ethics working in favor of profits and not against them. TJ's hires its employees at above-union rates, complete with regular bonuses, health insurance opportunities for upward mobility, and a retirement program. They make efforts to buy fair trade products, free range and organic meats, and are extremely philanthropic in nature. If that's not enough to convince you, they were ranked #2 among all grocery store chains in the nation according to Consumer Reports.
And despite all these merit badges they still manage to be profitable. According to Business Week article about the store, between 1990 and 2001, the chain quintupled its store count while increasing its profits tenfold. Keep on tradin', Joe!
Next is IN-N-OUT, the greatest fast food restaurant ever. IN-N-OUT hails from California as well, and unfortunately for the rest of us will not be expanding past Utah, at least for the foreseeable future. IN-N-OUT excels because of its simplicity. It offers only a small selection of menu items, but it makes sure they're the best in the world.
Upon walking into an IN-N-OUT you'll see what appears to be your average burger joint, perhaps stuck in the 1950's, but teaming with all the usual modern touches. The first thing that will strike you is the menu. You can get - and I'm not exaggerating here - a double cheeseburger, a cheeseburger, or a burger. Oh, and fries and a soda or shake if you like. That's it.
If at this point you're thinking, "Screw this, I'm off to Wendy's to try the new buffalo-earwig-honey-mustard-ranch burger" do yourself a favor, order a double cheeseburger meal (quaintly referred to as a "double-double") and wait patiently for your order. What you are about to receive is the most delicious burger you may ever eat, and easily the best burger for the dollar. Heck, even Eric Schlosser's "Fast Food Nation" which tore the collective fast food industry a new one cited IN-N-OUT as the only decent fast food restaurant around.
The secret is the fresh ingredients used. IN-N-OUT never freezes their meat. In fact, this is precisely the reason why those of us east of Utah will never get to see that fabulous yellow arrow in our home town. IN-N-OUT is so strict about its meat that it doesn't think that it can logistically expand beyond its sole meat procuring plant while maintaining the same level of quality (despite the fact that every IN-N-OUT across the west coast is regularly packed with paying customers from open to close).
The fries are fresh too, and that you don't have to take on my word. They slice the potatoes before your very eyes, and they have a fresh taste that's truly distinguishable from McDonald's franken-fries (although I won't go so far as to say they're better, per say) The veggies and cheeses are also as fresh as possible, and the end result is a flavor bonanza.
But freshness isn't all that sets this fast food phenomenon apart from the rest. IN-N-OUT is just so much damn smarter than the competition. For example, if anyone has ever been frustrated by the tiny catchup thimbles McDonald's and the other guys offer you'll be delighted when you see that IN-N-OUT has the largest catchup cups I've seen so far. And for those of you who love lots of condiments and veggies on your burger, but can't stand the mess that inevitably results, you will more than appreciate that IN-N-OUT lovingly wraps its burgers in a half shell of wax paper to keep everything in place. I am convinced, by the way, that proper packaging was a big reason why Chipotle has been so successful as well.
If you're paranoid about who's preparing your food, IN-N-OUT gives you a window into their food preparation process you can see into from the drive in and the counter. And if you want your burger ordered a certain way, just ask. They offer hundreds of variations of their burgers, many of which exist on a special secret menu that only true IN-N-OUT fans know about. I get mine "animal style", which is a mustard cooked beef patty served on a bun with pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, extra spread and grilled onions.
And just like Trader Joe's, the quality doesn't just run product deep. IN-N-OUT pays its employees better than any other fast food chain in the nation. Employees start at $7.50 and managers can make up to $100,000 per year, most of whom stay with the company for an average of 13 years. They're also active in local communities too, participating in a wide range of charities and events. So much for all fast food joints being evil.
Every time I go to the West Coast I make it a point to hit an IN-N-OUT. I sometimes wonder if it isn't better that it's not available here in Minnesota. As good as it is, I think you can get sick of anything if you have it enough. I almost prefer to let IN-N-OUT retain its mystique and favored status, so that my Westward bound journeys are always highlighted by a delicious double-double.
Well that does it for this edition of Mark's Favorite Brand's. Spend well, and consume happily.
