--- title: Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson Surprise Fans At In-N-Out Burger description: Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson bought burgers for the customers at an In N Out burger outpost. canonical: https://time.com/5486708/tom-hanks-rita-wilson-in-n-out-burger/ author: Melissa Locker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-12-24T16:51:13.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:56:36.574Z og:title: Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson Surprise Fans At In-N-Out Burger og:description: A trip to In-N-Out got even better for some lucky fans og:url: https://time.com/5486708/tom-hanks-rita-wilson-in-n-out-burger/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteda240f9090a15a8/69894237ab6d7707206b4816/GettyImages-1068598522.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: The Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures Unveils Fully Restored Saban Building og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson Surprise Fans At In-N-Out Burger twitter:description: A trip to In-N-Out got even better for some lucky fans twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteda240f9090a15a8/69894237ab6d7707206b4816/GettyImages-1068598522.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson Play Santa Claus at California In-N-Out Burger > Sponsored content. 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The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Dec 24, 2018 4:51 PM UTC  Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson attend The Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures Unveiling of the Fully Restored Saban Building at Petersen Automotive Museum on December 4, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson attend The Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures Unveiling of the Fully Restored Saban Building at Petersen Automotive Museum on December 4, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Gregg DeGuire—Getty Images by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Dec 24, 2018 4:51 PM UTC Burger lovers who swung by the In-N-Out outpost in Fontana, Calif., weren’t at McDonald’s, but they still managed to get a very happy meal. On Friday, Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks was [at it again](http://time.com/4530835/tom-hanks-meeting-fans/), this time with his actress/singer wife Rita Wilson in tow, surprising customers at the fast food chain with acts of kindness. Not only did customers get the ultimate celebrity sighting, but as seen in [a Facebook video](https://www.facebook.com/renee.chavez.9210/videos/vb.100009382162634/2277405559248827/?type=2&video%5Fsource=user%5Fvideo%5Ftab) posted by fan Renee Chavez, Hanks walked up to the drive-thru window and bought lunch for several customers waiting in line. After the kind gesture, the couple proceeded inside the restaurant for their own lunch and the actor took the time to pose for photos with fans. > [](https://twitter.com/FUSD%5FOakPark/status/1076570569447895040) Another lucky customer posted a photo of [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/BrqZ1gCnlNG/) showing Hanks and Wilson eating their burgers, the actor chatting with an employee at the counter and taking a selfie with a customer. The celebrity visit was even big news for the City of Fontana, which posted a welcoming message on the town’s Facebook page: “Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson made a surprise stop in Fontana on Friday,” read the message. “Welcome to Fontana @tomhanks! Please visit us again.” When he’s not starring in films, Hanks has made a habit of surprising fans, like appearing on _The Today Show_ to cheer on a [wounded veteran](http://time.com/5467916/tom-hanks-hidden-heroes/), sending a [Reddit fan a selfie](http://time.com/4608966/tom-hanks-selfie-fan/) and appearing in a [Carly Rae Jepsen music video](http://time.com/3731717/carly-rae-jepsen-new-album-i-really-like-you/). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5486708/tom-hanks-rita-wilson-in-n-out-burger/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5486708/tom-hanks-rita-wilson-in-n-out-burger/"},"headline":"Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson Play Santa Claus at California In-N-Out Burger","datePublished":"2018-12-24T16:51:13.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:56:36.574Z","description":"T. 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