PETALING JAYA, Jan 22 — Lovers of American burger joint In-N-Out Burger in the Klang Valley are in luck as the chain is having a special one-day pop-up at Strangers at 47, a café and crêperie in Petaling Jaya’s Section 17, tomorrow.

From 11am till 3pm (or “while stocks last”, as they say), In-N-Out will be offering their Double-Double Burger, Animal Style Burger and Protein Style Burger on a first come, first served basis.

In-N-Out burgers in Petaling Jaya, for one day only. — Picture courtesy of Strangers at 47
In-N-Out burgers in Petaling Jaya, for one day only. — Picture courtesy of Strangers at 47

Believe it or not, the burgers at this pop-up will be priced in the RM5-RM10 range! According to Strangers at 47 co-owner Sean Ooi, the burgers at these events usually sell out within the first hour (don't say we didn't warn you!).

Founded in 1948, In-N-Out is famed for their made-to-order hamburgers and usage of fresh ingredients.

Advertisement

Given their fan following, even outside the US, In-N-Out hosts pop-up events all around the world. Ooi says, “They came to us because they like the vibe here, so we’re very honoured that they’ve chosen Strangers at 47 for their pop-up tomorrow!”

As to why they do pop-ups, Eric Billings, Manager of Special Foreign Events of In-N-Out Burger, explains, “On occasion, we do have pop-ups overseas as we want to bring our brand awareness and our food to more people. It gives us a lot of satisfaction to do this and to make customers happy all over the world.”

The choice of Strangers at 47, which was voted Best Café at the Time Out Food Awards 2016, is an astute one given its popularity with an increasingly discerning foodie crowd.

Advertisement

Billings says, “We appreciate the cornerstones of any business that promotes great quality and amazing service.”

Ooi says, “I really admire In-N-Out’s brand awareness throughout the world because even though they’re not in Asia, so many people know of their brand and look forward to their burgers! I especially like that they’re a family owned and operated company.”

The In-N-Out work processes are another area that impressed Ooi. He says, “The In-N-Out team we are working with for this event is really friendly and dynamic. The process we’ve observed so far is that they’re really efficient and care about the quality of ingredients used and also the emphasis on customer experience, which is something we share in common.”

Head over to Strangers at 47 tomorrow from 11am to 3pm to get a taste of In-N-Out burgers. — Picture courtesy of Strangers at 47
Head over to Strangers at 47 tomorrow from 11am to 3pm to get a taste of In-N-Out burgers. — Picture courtesy of Strangers at 47

The latter is one of the chain’s main strengths as it has a loyal customer base and is often rated highly in customer satisfaction surveys. Fans include Guillermo Del Toro, who right after winning Best Director for his film The Shape of Water at the Golden Globes earlier this month, dropped by an In-N-Out drive-through.

So it’s no surprise that eager burger fans want to know whether In-N-Out is setting up shop in Kuala Lumpur? Given that they’re only open in six states — California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Texas and Oregon — even in the US, having the chain test the waters in Malaysia makes for an exciting prospect.

Billings shares, “In-N-Out has not established a time frame yet for setting up a restaurant in the area. However, as an early step, we are evaluating the success of this event to determine whether we may return and sell and burgers here again.”

So there you have it, burger lovers. If you want a taste of In-N-Out’s burgers in Malaysia, your only opportunity is to head over to Strangers at 47 tomorrow... for now at least.

Strangers at 47

47, Jalan 17/45, Section 17, Petaling Jaya

Tel: 03-7497 2409

Open Mon, Wed-Fri 8am-10pm; Sat-Sun 9am-10pm (Tues usually closed except for In-N-Out pop-up on January 23, 2018)

www.facebook.com/strangersat47/