The iconic palm trees; the juicy burger; the long lines for the drive-thru.

It’s undeniably In-N-Out.

The staple restaurant of the West Coast, anybody who lives in the West knows about it, and anybody who visits tries it. There was never a day that I didn't look forward to eating another classic In-N-Out burger such as the Double-Double or trying something a little more unusual like the Grilled Cheese Sandwich or the Flying Dutchman (two of many items on their secret menu). People come for the incredible ingredients, the great prices and the uniquely chaotic atmosphere.

Or do they?

There is something about In-N-Out that is more than just its food. Maybe what makes In-N-Out so special is that it encapsulates the essence of the West Coast. Could it be that the smell lets you know exactly where you are? Perhaps the crowds of people both in the restaurant and lined up bumper to bumper in the drive-thru give a never-ending reminder of where you are? Maybe it is the simplicity of the visible menu combined with the creativity of the secret menu that gives a testament to where you are?

The smell and visuals of the burger are a focus on presentation, just like how everybody in the West Coast places so much importance on how they appear. The crowds of people represent, well, the ridiculous amount of people that are packed into the coast. The two menus capture how there are two elements to the West Coast: what you first see, and what it’s really like.

Is it any of this that makes me and others love In-N-Out so much?

Maybe.

Or maybe its something more unexplainable, something that is related to all of this yet isn't any of it. For me, there is something about In-N-Out that is home. I've already spent the majority of this article trying to pin down exactly what it could be that makes it this way, but I don't think it's any one thing.

And maybe that's exactly what makes people love In-N-Out so much. Yes, it has delicious food – that's an obvious reason why people like it. But it's also more than that. It's everything I've already mentioned but also so much more.

It's the West Coast. It's home.