The Southern California Burger Chain That Used To Rival In-N-Out

Mid-century Southern California saw the rise of fast food giants such as McDonald's, Taco Bell, and In-N-Out Burger, which have expanded beyond the Golden State and, in some cases, across the globe. But there were other groundbreaking fast food companies, including Baker's Drive-Thru, that launched in the decades following World War II. The chain began life in San Bernardino in 1952 and was once a local rival of In-N-Out Burger. But unlike In-N-Out, which has grown to 435 locations in 10 states, Baker's has intentionally stayed a regional chain, with a modest 38 locations centered in the Inland Empire, east of Los Angeles.

While Baker's Drive-Thru may not have the same name recognition as its rivals, it had an outsized fingerprint on the early fast food industry with innovations like a "twin-kitchen" concept that founder Neal T. Baker introduced in 1955 to sell both burgers and Mexican food at a single location long before Del Taco was doing it. Baker's was also one of the first fast food chains to offer a dedicated vegetarian menu, launched in the 1990s. Beyond that, Baker had personal connections to most of the other fast food giants of Southern California, from McDonald's to Taco Bell and beyond.

Even before Neal T. Baker got into the restaurant business, he had connections to fast food history. He started as a builder and helped his two friends, Maurice and Dick McDonald, with the construction of the restaurant that would become McDonald's. Later, Baker owned a brickyard with his high school friend Glen Bell and helped build his first restaurant, a hamburger stand, before Bell would go on to found Taco Bell in 1962. After Baker started his own fast food restaurant, he would continue to have a hand in the birth of other early fast food brands, including mentoring John Gilardi, who founded the Der Wienerschnitzel chain.

Baker died in 2008, and his wife, Carol Baker, who was the company's vice president, took over as president until her death in 2017. Today, the company is still owned by the family. While Baker's Drive-Thru may not be as big as its competitors, like In-N-Out, it has continued to serve its burgers and tacos to its loyal Inland Empire customer base. And unlike some early Southern California fast food chains, like Pup N' Taco, which was wiped off the map by Taco Bell, Baker's Drive-Thru is still very much alive and well.