Ask anyone who knows me, and they’ll tell you that I love a good burger and fries just about as much as I love a good “hole in the wall” restaurant. Over the past year or so I’ve repeatedly heard good things about Squeeze Inn, so when Burger Week finally arrived I called “dibs” right away. When it comes to eating out, there is nothing better than good company. So with my family in tow, I headed to Squeeze Inn last Saturday afternoon. The experience went a little something like this:
12:15 p.m.: Arrive at Squeeze Inn on Fruitridge Avenue
On our short drive out to Squeeze Inn, I really didn’t know what to expect. Would it live up to the high expectations that had been set by word of mouth? What exactly would the legendary “cheese skirt” look like? Now I’ve been known to exaggerate a time or two, but when I tell you that the line when we arrived was at least forty people long, I mean it. We made friends and laughed off the long line as part of the experience, despite warnings from Squeeze Inn veterans who said it wasn’t uncommon for it to take an hour just to reach the order-placing stage of the game.
1:15 p.m.: Finally reach the front of the line; place order
Turns out, those veterans were right. One hour after arriving, we truly did squeeze our way in to the tiny inside portion of the restaurant, which is made up of three waitresses and one chef behind a long skinny bar. Our order was simple: four Squeeze with Cheese burgers and two orders of fries, to share.
1:18 p.m.: Learn that the wait for our food would be approximately one hour
“It’ll be about an hour before your food is ready,” we were told. Partially because we were in state of hunger and probably weren’t thinking properly at this point, we agreed and waited outside. In retrospect, I think we stayed because the burgers looked and smelled so good but also because we’d already invested an hour of our time and we were all too proud to walk away with nothing to show for it.
2:15 p.m.: Receive food; proceed to stuff ourselves full in approximately five minutes flat
This is the part of the story where I tell you it was all worth it. And it was! I probably won’t be visiting Squeeze Inn on a regular basis in my future (at least not on a weekend during the lunch time rush), but the Squeeze with Cheese was unbelievable. 1/3 pound of beef, encased almost entirely in cheese (some of which was deliciously fried due to not-so-accidental collision with the grill) and a thick bun – what more could you ask for? The fries were flawlessly salted and the thick cut that I always love; so tasty that they didn’t even need ketchup.
What happened next? The food coma, of course.
South Sacramento
7916 Fruitridge Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95820
(916) 386-8599
Galt
545 Industrial Dr.
Galt, CA 95632
(209) 745-4313
Melly says
Whew! Thanks for the heads up.
Lesley says
We tried to hit up Squeeze in the weekend after you did, but I got impatient and we left the line. I’ve heard the trick is to call your order in ahead of time. I think that’s what I’ll try in the future. The pics look amazing!