A meaty pick

These days, with the Randian prognosis of a moocher nation seeming increasingly accurate thanks to large ill-managed corporations frolicking in bed with lawmakers, seeing a well-run independent company is like a breath of fresh air.

A few days back, my local newspaper reported the opening of a new In-n-Out restaurant nearby. It appears that the company is privately held and is doing very well. At a time when expansion was the name of the game, In-n-Out stuck to growing slowly and sustainably. It promises to serve its food fresh, and so operates in only four states to where meat can be shipped from their handling facility without being frozen. The company also seems to have pretty good terms for its employees, quite in contrast with other major burger chains which are far from the best places to work.

Coincidentally, while on The Motley Fool today for unrelated reasons, I ran into an article titled The Best Company I've Ever Seen. Yes, it was about In-n-Out. Funny, and impressive, that an investment writer should sing paeans about a company that is closed to investors.

Also, look, there is a book!