Retail: Best Place to Get a Grab-and-Go Meal

1. In-N-Out Burger

Multiple locations; 800-786-1000; in-n-out.com

Last year, the Orange County Register debuted the Place to Get a Grab-and-Go Meal category. At the time, readers took that to mean higher-end food halls. This year, readers’ tastes turned more toward speed and convenience, bringing in a new list of winners.

No matter the category, In-N-Out remains in a class of its own.

Ever since Harry and Esther Snyder debuted their burger joint in 1948 in Baldwin Park, the precept has been the same: Make a few menu items and make them the best. It is a concept their daughter, Lynsi Snyder, has stuck to since inheriting the company and becoming president.

Denny Warnick, executive vice president and chief operating officer, says the chain’s consistency atop the Best of Orange County surveys, regardless of category heading, is “especially meaningful to us because they come directly from our customers.”

Customers don’t have to spend time pondering the menu. There are single and double burgers, with or without cheese and onions raw or grilled. There are fries, shakes and drinks. That’s it. Well, except for the “secret menu.”

Since opening to a cultlike following, and still considered somewhat exotic on the East Coast with no locations east of Houston, In-N-Out has grown to 28 locations in Orange County and more than 250 in California.

According to Warnick, the chain will continue to expand with “measured growth in the seven states where we do business.”

LEONARD ORTIZ,, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER A In-N-Out Burger employee walks past the signage and the new In-N-Out on North Bristol Street in Santa Ana on April 1.

– Greg Mellen

2. Chick-fil-A

Multiple locations, chick-fil-a.com

People may not all agree with the founder’s political beliefs and they may wish it was open on Sundays, but when it comes to chicken sandwiches no one matches this national chain.

With more than 2,600 stores nationwide, this chicken joint, rebranded in 1967 as Chick-fil-A, was founded in 1946 as the Dwarf Grill in a suburb of Atlanta.

While serving a breaded, boneless chicken breast between two buns is a simple idea nowadays, it was a novelty in the 1940s, according to the company.

Although the chain’s signature is the chicken sandwich, fried or grilled, there is a large and eclectic array of sides, like the Lemon Kale Caesar Salad and the popular waffle fries. It also features a varied breakfast menu.

In some restaurants, you can even get — eek! — steaks and hamburgers. Unlike other national chains where every restaurant serves all the same dishes, at some Chickfil-A locations you may find Southern and soul-inspired choices such as fried okra, collard greens, macaroni and cheese and sweet potato souffle.

Mary Vasquez grew up cooking at the knees of her mother and grandmother in central Mexico. When she moved to the United States, she brought her love of cooking (not to mention family recipes) along.

Her burritos quickly became the best in the neighborhood. In 1973, Mary, who remains “chief recipe officer,” and her husband Mike opened their first restaurant in Corona and named it in honor of Mike’s grandfather.

Two years later, they moved into faster food with Miguel’s Jr., and a tradition was born. There are now Miguel’s Jr. restaurants in Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Orange and Tustin, as well as two Miguel’s California Mexican Cocina Restaurants, for the full dining experience.

The menu contains all the standards. There are six varieties of burritos, including the Famous Garbage Burrito, and the “Original” dating back to 1975. Also on the menu is a full complement of tacos, nachos, quesadillas, combination plates, salads and tostadas. A breakfast menu contains 10 items from breakfast burritos to combinations.

3. Miguel’s Jr.

Multiple locations, miguelsjr.com