Californians and tourists alike are used to seeing the famous crisscrossed palm trees outside of In-N-Out Burger restaurants. People who have never been to California before have long thought of this chain as a must-see.
A new study by Bet California, on the other hand, shows that McDonald’s has surpassed In-N-Out as California’s favorite fast food brand. The study didn’t look at coffee chains because it was based on search engine activity from people in California between November 2023 and November 2024.
McDonald’s strong ties to the government may help explain why it’s so popular. The global fast-food chain was started in San Bernardino in 1940 and now has over 38,000 sites around the world.
Californians like a lot of different kinds of fast food, as shown by the fact that Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, and Chick-fil-A are also very popular.