21 replies to this topic

[SpacySmoke]

After my last MOC, I had planned on making another vehicle. However, as I was breaking down some sets for the parts bins, I came across the 16x32 baseplate and figured, why not go for it and build a modular building?

So here goes: this is my first modular building based on one of my favorite restaurants, In-N-Out Burger.

In-N-Out is a family-owned hamburger chain found mostly in California, though there are restaurants in Arizona, Nevada, Texas, and some other states I think.

They are typically free-standing, one-story buildings with a drive-thru. In other words, I don't think there is an In-N-Out built in a "modular building" style in the real world.

I've based this design on the basic style of the real restaurants and adapted it to the modular building style as best I could. Basically, I imagined what it would look like if it were in New York City. There are two floors; the bottom is the ordering counter and kitchen, the second floor is the dining area. As is the custom for modular buildings, the roof and second floor can be removed.

Front view. One of the hardest things was getting that arrow logo just right.

An overview of the first floor. That black thing in the upper left corner is the soda dispenser. Under the stairs is a refrigerator and sink.

A better shot of the menu. I made the graphic in Photoshop and recreated an actual menu. All items on the real-life menu are present here, though I'm missing the attachment for the value meals.

A view of the kitchen and ordering counter. I tried to include something for everything on the menu. The grill for the burgers, deep fryer for the fries, french fry maker (In-N-Out fresh-cuts their fries from whole potatoes), a milkshake machine, and soda dispenser. I think the only thing I'm missing is a coffee maker. That red and white tiled section of wall is pretty much in every In-N-Out I've seen so I made sure to include it. It is also common for long planters to line the tops of wall sections.

A close up of the kitchen area. There a grill for the burgers, a deep fryer, and a french fry maker (that contraption on the left).

The second floor dining area. In-N-Outs typically have 3 types of seating: booths, counters with stools, and tables with chairs. All 3 styles are represented here. I'll try to add some detail shots later.

The roof has an air conditioning unit and vent for the grill.

My In-N-Out with my only other modular building, the Fire Brigade.

That's it! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed building it!
I've noticed that all three of my MOCs are white or white/red. I didn't plan that, but I am going to force myself to make something in another color next!

Edited by SpacySmoke, 25 August 2011 - 08:44 AM.

[alois]

I like the interior. But I have a quetion: why are the couplers on he right side of the building male-only? Or do I miss something?

[SpacySmoke]

alois, on 25 August 2011 - 08:59 AM, said:

I like the interior. But I have a quetion: why are the couplers on he right side of the building male-only? Or do I miss something?

When I was building it, I didn't have enough white 1x2 bricks with holes, so I just used those instead. I'll switch it out later.

[lightningtiger]

Fantastic creation 'SpaceySmoke' and the signage behind/above the counter is totally AWESOME.....maybe you used my trick eh ?
The interior upstairs and down are wonderful, plus you nailed the logo on the front !
What's next ? A True Value or something else ?
Brick On 'SpaceySmoke' !

[Khorne]

Very nice creation! At first I found the white exterior to be a bit bland, so I googled 'In-N-Out Burger' to see how their establishments look in real life (since I'm not familiar with it) and apparently that how they look. The details you put in are great. The building looks real tiny from the outside, but it sure contains a lot on the inside! The uniforms look really good, too. The combination of the baseball cap and cook torso are a real winner here .

[LegoDadRobb]

Neat little details such as the red trans bars on the exterior, or the lamp above the stairway. Great interpretation of an In-n-Out.

[LEGO Guy Bri]

Great burger joint 'SpaceySmoke'. I love the detail in this. The menu board came out excellent and the kitchen is awesome. Fantastic creation

[22kane]

That's a very nice build. I like the interior details especially the menu. Great work.

[ACCURATEin]

Oh this is fabulous! I like your style haha.

IN-N-Out Burger is one of the joys of visiting the west coast.  When i went out to California i ate there 3 times i think..one on sunset blvd and one at huntington beach.

Good work!!

[L@go]

That's a great modular. I like the idea of creating one that's smaller than the official ones, it's a nice way to 'break up' the modular street, and everything doesn't need to be big - after all, all buildings aren't the same size in a real street, either. And as others have said - although it looks small on the outside, you've managed to cram a very nice interior into it. I love all the details - the menu, the soda dispenser, all the kitchen appliances. Great work.

Is that a health inspector on the stairs? :)

[greg3]

Very nice - great interior. I really like the details like the menu and the kitchen (and of course the staff uniforms!!)
Thanks for sharing.

[The Blue Brick]

I love this moc just as much as i love In N Out. The interior is fantastic. I love the menu and work station. I also love how you made the logo. Awesome job.

[Legocrazy81]

That is awesome. You really caught the atmosphere well. You got all the right details for the interior. Well done!

[SpacySmoke]

lightningtiger, on 25 August 2011 - 10:08 AM, said:

Fantastic creation 'SpaceySmoke' and the signage behind/above the counter is totally AWESOME.....maybe you used my trick eh ?
The interior upstairs and down are wonderful, plus you nailed the logo on the front !
What's next ? A True Value or something else ?
Brick On 'SpaceySmoke' !

Thanks for compliments! Sorry, but I'm not sure what trick you're referring to though?

Khorne, on 25 August 2011 - 10:40 AM, said:

Very nice creation! At first I found the white exterior to be a bit bland, so I googled 'In-N-Out Burger' to see how their establishments look in real life (since I'm not familiar with it) and apparently that how they look. The details you put in are great. The building looks real tiny from the outside, but it sure contains a lot on the inside! The uniforms look really good, too. The combination of the baseball cap and cook torso are a real winner here .

Thanks! I actually think it's kinda bland too, but there are a couple of reasons why it's mostly white. The main reason is that the interior needs to be white to stay true to the In-N-Out style. I had wanted to make the bottom floor facade light tan, but I don't have that 8-wide arch in light tan. But yeah, most real life In-N-Outs are white; sometimes they are a different color (like tan) but I think those variations are mostly to conform to the style of the shopping center that they are a part of.

LegoDadRobb, on 25 August 2011 - 11:52 AM, said:

Neat little details such as the red trans bars on the exterior, or the lamp above the stairway. Great interpretation of an In-n-Out.

Thanks! Most In-N-Outs have red neon lining the tops of the building so that's what those are supposed to be.

Leg Godt Gud, on 25 August 2011 - 01:42 PM, said:

Great burger joint 'SpaceySmoke'. I love the detail in this. The menu board came out excellent and the kitchen is awesome. Fantastic creation

22kane, on 25 August 2011 - 02:26 PM, said:

That's a very nice build. I like the interior details especially the menu. Great work.

Thanks guys! I'm quite proud of the menu myself!  

ACCURATEin, on 25 August 2011 - 02:56 PM, said:

Oh this is fabulous! I like your style haha.

IN-N-Out Burger is one of the joys of visiting the west coast.  When i went out to California i ate there 3 times i think..one on sunset blvd and one at huntington beach.

Good work!!

Nice! I actually work in Huntington Beach so I've eaten at that one as well.

L@go, on 25 August 2011 - 04:18 PM, said:

That's a great modular. I like the idea of creating one that's smaller than the official ones, it's a nice way to 'break up' the modular street, and everything doesn't need to be big - after all, all buildings aren't the same size in a real street, either. And as others have said - although it looks small on the outside, you've managed to cram a very nice interior into it. I love all the details - the menu, the soda dispenser, all the kitchen appliances. Great work.

Is that a health inspector on the stairs? :)

Haha, I just got the sleuth figure so I just stuck him in there, but that's a great explanation!  
As for the size, I didn't want to make it too big; I figured it's just a burger joint, they probably wouldn't have a 3-story building or anything grand.

greg3, on 25 August 2011 - 04:21 PM, said:

Very nice - great interior. I really like the details like the menu and the kitchen (and of course the staff uniforms!!)
Thanks for sharing.

Thanks! I can't wait for the butcher CMF to come out. In-N-Out staff typically wear either a paper hat like the one the butcher CMF has, or a red and white baseball cap. They should really be wearing white pants with a red apron at their waist so I might try to replicate that in the future as well.

The Blue Brick, on 25 August 2011 - 05:37 PM, said:

I love this moc just as much as i love In N Out. The interior is fantastic. I love the menu and work station. I also love how you made the logo. Awesome job.

Thanks! I think I spent a few nights just working on the arrow logo. I tried a lot of different techniques and I think this one looked the best. The tip of the arrow bugged me for long time until I got that Ninjago lightsaber piece that has a double-studded end.

[ACCURATEin]

You work in a beautiful place!  It's so nice over there.

Put a palm tree in front of the building.  

[Tamamono]

Fantastic MOC, SpacySmoke! I love that you were able to fit all that detail onto a 16x32 baseplate, yet it doesn't look at all cramped.

Will we be seeing more modular buildings from you?

[sonicstarlight]

I'll admit that I do try and stop by In-N-Out anytime I am on the west coast. It's probably for the best they don't have any chains around me, at least in terms of my health! Blogged on Brick Town Talk!

[lostdriveway]

OMG I love this MOC!!

My wife is from California (I'm Australian) and one of the main places we go eat when we go back to California is In-N-Out!!

You have done a great job recreating it and it looks AMAZING!!

[SpacySmoke]

ACCURATEin, on 25 August 2011 - 11:51 PM, said:

You work in a beautiful place!  It's so nice over there.

Put a palm tree in front of the building.  

Yeah, too bad I don't work closer to the beach; I'm pretty much on the most inland side of Huntington Beach!
I might just try putting a palm tree in front just to see what it looks like!

Captain Tamamono, on 26 August 2011 - 01:26 AM, said:

Fantastic MOC, SpacySmoke! I love that you were able to fit all that detail onto a 16x32 baseplate, yet it doesn't look at all cramped.

Will we be seeing more modular buildings from you?

Thanks! I was getting worried that the kitchen was getting to cramped; I think it is almost at the breaking point of being too cramped and I had contemplated getting rid of the milkshake machine to add some room.

I probably will make more modular buildings, but I don't have any plans yet. My wife sure is happy I'm done with this one though!

sonicstarlight, on 26 August 2011 - 02:07 AM, said:

I'll admit that I do try and stop by In-N-Out anytime I am on the west coast. It's probably for the best they don't have any chains around me, at least in terms of my health! Blogged on Brick Town Talk!

Wow! Thanks for adding it to your blog! I'm a big fan of your work!

lostdriveway, on 26 August 2011 - 04:44 AM, said:

OMG I love this MOC!!

My wife is from California (I'm Australian) and one of the main places we go eat when we go back to California is In-N-Out!!

You have done a great job recreating it and it looks AMAZING!!

Thanks! Glad you like it!

[ACCURATEin]

You should join the In-N-Out group on flickr and add your photo there, and then like the facebook In-N-Out page and add it there.  

[Vincent Kessels]

That is a very nice modular building 'SpacySmoke', but shouldn't it be a bit higher for a New York building ?  

The interior looks very nice with all the details, and the upstairs looks also great.

The arrow logo looks great, but I am missing the text.
Maybe a re 1 x 4 tile in front of the arrow?

[HighFlyer]

Brilliant work, a nicely detailed exterior with a simple yet effective colour scheme. That logo is awesome!! The interior is brilliant - doesn't look too cramped on the 16x32 base. Great job.