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Crackdown on burger scalping at Cruise-In had an unexpected benefit

In-N-Out looking at applying limit in U.S. after wait times for popular burgers cut in half, says organizer
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Limiting the number of In-N-Out tickets an individual could purchase cut the wait time by half at Cruise-In this year, according to organizers.

A bid to battle burger scalpers had unexpected benefits for fans of the In-N-Out Burger food truck at this year’s Langley Good Times Cruise-In fundraiser for charity.

Wait times were cut in half by the decision to restrict the number of tickets people could purchase, said Riccardo Sestito, head of the Cruise-In subcommittee that makes arrangements for In-N-Out to come from California to Langley.

“The average wait time was two hours,” Sestito said.

“The year before, it was four.”

The difference was the new limit of six burger tickets per family.

It was imposed in response to a sudden increase in people scalping the tickets at last year’s event, where some bought as many as 25 of the $8 vouchers apiece and resold them for as much as $25 after all the In-N-Out tickets had been sold.

Sestito said it appears the quicker wait time was because the limit of six happens to match the maximum number of patties the food truck grill can accommodate at one time.

An In-N-Out Burger manager was intrigued by the effect of the limit, and told Sestito it may be applied to their U.S. outlets, where the limit is usually 25 per person.

That was set because some customers of the chain were known to buy as many as 100 burgers at a time, to feed an entire neighbourhood.

Devoted In-N-Out fans will go to extremes to get a burger at the Langley car show, like this year, when Sestito said the line-up started at midnight with three people, one who took the bus in from Deep Cove.

As for the scalpers, Sestito said he only caught one this year, who then agreed to resell the tickets without a markup.

Sestito said Cruise-In experimented with wrist bands for some In-N-Out patrons this year that would make it harder for scalpers.

“It worked out well,” he said, and could be expanded in 2017.

The all-volunteer Langley car show and charitable fundraiser is the only Canadian event that In-N-Out serves.

The American company, which has no Canadian outlets, brings its own hamburger patties across the border with the In-N-Out Burger Cookout Trailer, a bright red, yellow and white semi-trailer food truck.

In-N-Out contributes around $15,000 a year to the Cruise-In not-for-profit society, about $13,000 in burger sales and another $2,500 from paying a sponsorship fee.



Dan Ferguson

About the Author: Dan Ferguson

Best recognized for my resemblance to St. Nick, I’m the guy you’ll often see out at community events and happenings around town.
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