Skip to content

Langley Good Times Cruise-In: Fans line up for burgers

Once a year, the famous In-N-Out food chain travels north of 49th Parallel – specifically Langley
18235473_web1_180908-LAT-cruise-in-mowats
Popular US burger chain In-N-Out returns to Langley for the annual Good Times Cruise-In. (Langley Advdance Times file) Emily Mowat (far right) and mom Shelley waited two hours in line for an In-N-Out burger. That took longer than the drive to the Good Times Cruise-In from their Abbotsford home. (Langley Advance Times files)

In-N-Out Burger cookout managers Lisa Boimilla and Priscilla Mendoza are on the road for the 1,570-mile trip from California to Langley.

They arrive two days before the Langley Good Times Cruise-In, to set up the cook trailer.

“They’ve been making the trip for the last eight years,” said Eric Billings, In-N-Out’s manager of special foreign events.

He, too, will be arriving in Langley – from the California head office – a couple of days before the Sept. 7 charity car show.

It takes a lot to have the American burger chain take part in Cruise-In, which it has done for a dozen years. But, Billings said this is a much coveted gig for staff.

“It’s a team of 13 associates,” he said.

The company sends people based on merit – “the best and brightest,” Billing explained.

They arrive the day before and get a chance to see the community that’s about to descend on their cook trailer and to scoop up the 1,500 burgers that the company will sell at Cruise-In.

The company limits itself to 1,500 burger meals to maintain quality control as the supplies are brought up from the U.S. As well, there are administrative issues that In-and-Out must deal with in terms of crossing the border and Fraser Health for food safety issues.

Billings noted that the event is unlike any other In-N-Out attends.

“No other event gets the privilege of that many burgers,” he noted.

Proceeds go to charity

The company is sending up a new cook trailer to Langley for the 2019 show.

Billing said ticket sales will start shortly after the new trailer opens. And the cost is $10 per ticket, which gets a double-double burger, fries, and drink.

And there are limits on how many tickets each person can purchase.

There will also be about 600 T-shirts and other merchandise for sale. Plus, the first few people in line receive a special commemorative coin, which entitles them to goodies in the future, and there will be merchandise prizes handed out to the folks in line early.

And they do show up early, Billings noted. Staff see people lining up before sunrise.

“We’ve seen people show up as early as 3 a.m.,” noted Billings, who is attending for his fourth year.

He said the event gives the company an opportunity to test out its products in a new market.

The burgers have proven popular with Cruise-In audiences, but the company isn’t exactly raking in the dough at this event.

All fund from In-N-Out food and merchandise sales are donated to Cruise-In for its area charities.

“It’s a great tradition,” Billings said. “We’ve built up such a great relationship with the Langley car show.”

READ MORE:

Charities ‘so’ grateful for Cruise-In

and

Langley Good Times Cruise-In: People make it possible

18235473_web1_DSC00032
In-N-Out Burger has invested some serious coin into their special trailer (portable kitchen) that will be brought up to Canada next Saturday, Sept. 7, for the first time. (Special to the Langley Advance Times)
18235473_web1_CruiseIn-IN-OUT_9218
Popular US burger chain In-N-Out returns to Langley for the annual Good Times Cruise-In. (Langley Advdance Times file)
18235473_web1_DSC00013
In-N-Out Burger has invested some serious coin into their special trailer (portable kitchen) that will be brought up to Canada next Saturday, Sept. 7, for the first time. (Special to the Langley Advance Times)


Heather Colpitts

About the Author: Heather Colpitts

Since starting in the news industry in 1992, my passion for sharing stories has taken me around Western Canada.
Read more