In-N-Out Takes Issue with High School Football Team’s Photo Shoot

In-N-Out is a popular fast-food chain, but they weren’t too happy with a recent publicity stunt by a local football team.

The football squad from Lincoln High School in Northern California had to take down a viral media day photo shoot after being contacted by someone from In-N-Out’s trademark department.

Known as the Fighting Zebras, this team is situated in the Sacramento metro area. They had their annual media day at an In-N-Out in Lincoln, which they showcased through a series of photos and an Instagram reel capturing behind-the-scenes moments.

During the shoot, players posed as if they were taking orders at the drive-thru or interacting with customers inside. The intention was to highlight how significant In-N-Out is to the team, considering it serves as a popular hangout spot for them.

The local In-N-Out manager had even opened the restaurant earlier to accommodate the team’s needs.

“The history of Fighting Zebras and In-N-Out runs deep,” the now-removed Instagram post read. It included a thank you to Andrew from In-N-Out for letting them showcase their “animal style” spirit at their favorite place.

Glenn Silva, the photographer behind the shoot, later talked to SFGATE about the situation. He mentioned that he received an email asking for the removal of the media day content.

According to the email reviewed by SFGATE, “In-N-Out Burger takes the protection of its brand, trademarks, and trade dress very seriously. The unauthorized use of our restaurant premises, signage, logos, or any other proprietary elements in your content may constitute a violation of our intellectual property rights.”

Silva had a video from the shoot that amassed over 600,000 views and about 26,100 likes, but it was deleted despite his request for In-N-Out to approve it afterward.