- Chef Thomas Keller, known for his Michelin-starred restaurants, has opened a fast-casual burger spot inspired by In-N-Out called Burgers & Half Bottles in Yountville, California.
There are few American chefs whose reputations loom as large as Thomas Keller’s. With more Michelin stars than any other American chef (seven, to be exact) and at the helm of such storied restaurants as French Laundry and Per Se, customers are already salivating when Keller opens a new establishment. His latest concept is somewhat of a departure from his fine dining roots, as it is an homage to his enthusiasm for a beloved fast food chain: In-N-Out.
While it opened in 2025, Burgers & Half Bottles is an idea that has been brewing with Keller since he moved to the West Coast from New York in the early 1990s. As his story goes, he tried an In-N-Out burger that a friend served him with a half bottle of Zinfandel and the food memory clearly stuck. The spot, currently billed as a pop-up, is in the space of Keller’s former Mexican restaurant La Calenda in Yountville, California, and gives a complete fast-casual, order-at-the-counter, burger experience, complete with some fancy ingredient upgrades befitting a Michelin star chef. Despite its potential temporary operation, at the time of writing, the restaurant’s website still lists its operating hours as Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Burgers & Half Bottles: In-N-Out done Keller style
Though there aren’t any of In-N-Out’s signature crossed palm trees outside Burgers & Half Bottles, you can expect a unique plant-covered exterior and similar strikingly red decor inside. The menu features a burger that is an ode to In-N-Out’s headliner (featuring wagyu beef, of course) along with Thomas Keller’s very own secret sauce and the option to make it an iconic double. Burgers & Half Bottles secret sauce is no doubt a play on the ketchup, mayo, relish condiment at In-N-Out, but the specific ingredients, like the eatery’s Bouchon Bakery buns, clearly elevate its burger game. If a burger isn’t floating your boat, however, the restaurant has a few other items of note, including a grilled cheese (which is a secret menu item at In-N-Out), a fried chicken sandwich, a surf ‘n’ turf sandwich, a lobster roll, an ice cream sandwich, and, of course, milkshakes…