LA CRESCENTA, CA - JUNE 07: In-n-Out Burgers on Foothill Boulevard in La Crescenta, CA on Saturday, June 7, 2025. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Los Angeles, California – In a legal clash between digital spectacle and brand preservation, Southern California-based burger chain In-N-Out is suing YouTube prankster Bryan Arnett over a video in which he impersonated an employee and made lewd comments to unsuspecting customers. The lawsuit, filed Friday, June 20, in federal court, accuses Arnett of defamation, trademark infringement, and damaging the reputation of a company that has built its identity on cleanliness, simplicity, and family values.
The video in question was uploaded to Arnett’s popular YouTube channel on April 25. Shot at what appears to be an In-N-Out location in Glendale that was closed for Easter, Arnett dons the chain’s recognizable uniform — white shirt, red apron, and paper hat — and positions himself at the drive-thru, pretending to take customer orders. He offers nonexistent menu items, stages scenes involving a cockroach and a condom, and at one point, asks a driver if they’d be interested in watching his imaginary wife sleep with other men.
The prank video, though no longer searchable by title on YouTube, remains live on the platform and has circulated widely, earning Arnett both backlash and ad revenue. The lawsuit contends that Arnett “falsely represented” the company and that his “lewd, unsettling and bizarre” statements in the video reflect negatively on In-N-Out, a brand known for its fiercely maintained image.
In court filings, In-N-Out describes the prank as not merely tasteless but harmful. The company says it sent Arnett a cease-and-desist letter on May 2, weeks after the video first appeared online. In addition to seeking monetary damages — including profits earned from the video — the lawsuit aims to bar Arnett from entering any In-N-Out location in the future.
This isn’t Arnett’s first run-in with the burger chain. His content frequently centers on prank-style antics targeting the company. In past videos, he’s tried paying for orders with pennies, installed a fake employee-of-the-month plaque inside a dining room, and inserted himself into the restaurant’s daily rhythm in ways clearly designed to provoke.
In-N-Out, headquartered in Irvine, has a long history of protecting its intellectual property and public image. The company sued a different YouTuber in 2018 for similar stunts and regularly hosts pop-up shops abroad to retain its international trademarks. Copycat restaurants have nonetheless cropped up around the world.
Arnett, for his part, appears undeterred. In a follow-up video posted Monday — filmed from his car while eating In-N-Out — he acknowledged the legal action with a shrug. “I knew I was kinda teetering the line a little bit,” he said, “pushing my luck.”
