In-N-Out Burger Clogs Neighbors' Arteries

Calif. town battles traffic, obesity

(NEWSER) - The California town that gave the world its first drive-thru restaurant has banned the construction of new ones for at least 9 months. Officials in Baldwin Park, birthplace of the cult classic In-N-Out Burger chain that revolutionized fast food, say the move will both ease traffic congestion and help tackle the obesity epidemic. More»

Physicians group wants president to stop unhealthy photo ops

(NEWSER) - Part of being president is being photographed chowing down on burgers and hot dogs, but a group of DC doctors thinks President Obama needs to put a stop to the practice. “The White House would never set up a photo op of a president with a cigarette, so why show him eating foods that cause cancer?” says a director at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. More»

Jennifer Lynn Betterly wasn't pleased with the speed at a KFC/Taco Bell

(NEWSER) - It's called fast food, people. Or so may have gone the thought process of one Jennifer Lynn Betterly, a Florida woman who had just about enough of waiting in line at the KFC/Taco Bell drive-thru in Largo on Saturday night. And so she did what any hungry diner would do ... repeatedly drove her Ford Focus into the slow-poke car in front of her, screaming at its driver as she did so. She then split (tragically, sans food), but was arrested an hour later and charged with fun things like aggravated battery, driving with a suspended license, and leaving the scene of a crash, reports the Tampa Bay Times . For other drive-thru fun, click here . More»

405 closure leads to crazy discounts, viral videos, possible flash mobs

(NEWSER) - LA residents are planning to flee or hunker down this weekend as a 10-mile stretch of the 405, one of the nation's busiest freeways, shuts down for 53 hours. For non-Angelenos: This is a big deal, hence the nicknames "Carmageddon" and "Carpocalypse." Some of the most amusing developments:

• Some businesses are offering discounts to woo customers tempted to stay home, the Wall Street Journal reports. A pet photog who makes house calls will give you 20% off with her "4-0-fido" deal. A tattoo shop on a sure-to-be-clogged thoroughfare is offering 15% off. One restaurant will serve a $40.05 four-course meal; a bar is offering $5 Irish Car Bombs and Cadillac Margaritas.
• JetBlue ran a "Fly Over the 405" special—$4 one-way tickets between Burbank and Long Beach, a 40-mile, 20-minute trip. That sold out in less than four hours, the Los Angeles Times notes, but you can still snag a $150 luxury helicopter ride over the traffic snarl, the WSJ adds.

California chain in-N-Out Burger wins top honors

(NEWSER) - The people at Food & Wine , given the taxing task of singling out America's best burger, from roadside joints to posh restaurants serving Kobe beef burgers, have picked the top 25. First prize goes to cheeseburgers from West Coast chain In-N-Out Burger , famed for its made-to-order burgers of Harris Ranch beef—and its employee-centered personnel policies. The rest of the top 5:

• Minetta Tavern, New York City. Its Black Label Burger, made from a blend of dry-aged rib eye, skirt steak, brisket and short rib, is topped with caramelized onions.