Fresh & Fast Burger …an In-N-Out Carbon Copy?

College Humor’s In-N-Out coming to NYC banner prank got me wanting a good burger. Shake Shack had a huge ass line since the weather was nice. I guess the next best thing is to try that Fresh & Fast which looks like a knock-off of the popular West Coast burger joint –from the name (used to be called Fresh-N-Fast), logo, menu and outfits. There were plenty of dudes there in line thinking of In-N-Out too, trying to joke around by ordering theirs Animal-style. The cashier didn’t know what the hell they were talking about, although he’s probably heard it from every other person.

I got a cheeseburger with everything including grilled onions and fries. It was a good greasy burger and done right on a Martin potato roll. But is it really like a In-N-Out burger? It doesn’t quite look like it, but I guess it’s impossible to do a fair side-by-side comparison. I’d say tastes similar from memory. Maybe a bit similar to a Shake Shack burger too, but I ain’t waiting in no crazy line to find out.

I know people have strong feelings with In-N-Out & Shake Shack and it’s sacrilege to think Fresh & Fast can be just as good. But what if you throw out your loyalties, pre-judgments and heavy critique? How about listening to your gut (figurative and literally)? I think ever since reading Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink, I’ve been hesitant to go too deep in my assessments and I end up taking other people’s long winded reviews with a grain of salt …and that’s a mind fuck for someone that’s supposed to be a food blogger. I just know I enjoyed my Fresh & Fast burger and it was greasy. Fries were average.

Fresh & Fast Burger – 111 E 23rd St (between Park Ave & Lexington) New York, NY 10010