How In-N-Out became one of America's most beloved fast-food dynasties as it marks 75 years under the ownership of the Snyder family

Nancy LunaAug 20, 2023, 19:18 IST

In-N-Out serves a simple menu mostly comprised of burgers, fries, and shakes.Nancy Luna/Insider

In-N-Out Burger is one of the most beloved burger brands in the US.
The Snyders grew one tiny burger stand in California into a billion-dollar family dynasty.

In-N-Out is considered the gold standard for fast-food brands, with rivals envying it for its cultlike fan base that include countless Hollywood celebrities such as Miley Cyrus and food legends including Anthony Bourdain.

In-N-Out has remained a privately run family business since it was founded in Southern California by Harry and Esther Snyder in 1948.

On October 22, the Irvine, California-based fast-food chain plans to mark its 75th anniversary with a bash at the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. The event is expected to feature drag racing and live music. One of the headlining bands is .48 Special, the In-N-Out band featuring the chain's 41-year-old president, Lynsi Snyder.

Snyder's rise to the top of the chain at such a young age was largely the result of the deaths of her family members and internal legal drama at the company. At age 23, she became the primary beneficiary of the burger dynasty. Around the same time, she was accused by another executive of plotting to take over the company and expand it nationally.

Snyder became one of the youngest billionaires in the US when she inherited complete control of In-N-Out in 2017. She has expanded the chain to Texas, Oregon, and Colorado since becoming In-N-Out's president in 2010. Two more states are on the books for expansion: Idaho and Tennessee.

As the chain grows, so does her net worth — which reached $4.2 billion as of February 2023, according to Forbes.

In October, Snyder said she plans to release a book about the chain's 75-year history. "The Ins-N-Outs of In-N-Out Burger" will reveal "the true In-N-Out Story," she wrote on her Instagram page.

Here's how In-N-Out, with over 390 locations, has grown into an iconic fast-food brand under a handful of leaders.

Harry and Esther Snyder opened the first In-N-Out restaurant in 1948. At that time, a burger cost 25 cents.

Harry and Esther Snyder with their sons, Rich and Guy.In-N-Out

The Baldwin Park, California, burger stand had a two-way speaker drive-thru system that was considered groundbreaking at the time.

This location is a replica of the original In-N-Out burger stand and drive-thru.Nancy Luna

Harry Snyder leaned into Southern California car culture and built restaurants with twin drive-thru lanes and no indoor dining.

Most In-N-Out locations now have both a drive-thru and indoor dining.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The menu was simple and has been kept pretty much the same. The chain serves hamburgers, cheeseburgers, Double-Doubles, french fries, shakes, and beverages.

Nancy Luna/Insider

Patties, buns, potatoes, vegetables, and everything else you can order from the restaurant are delivered to each location via trucks from In-N-Out distribution centers such as this one. The company says nothing is ever frozen or microwaved.

In-N-Out has long maintained that the company's offerings are never frozen or microwaved.Google Maps

Patties, buns, potatoes, vegetables, and everything else you can order from the restaurant are delivered to each location via trucks from In-N-Out distribution centers such as this one. The company says nothing is ever frozen or microwaved.

At the chain's beef-processing plant, butchers "bone" cow and steer chucks from local suppliers. The proprietary blend of meats is then put through a two-grind system. Fresh meat is sent to stores daily.

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

At the chain's beef-processing plant, butchers "bone" cow and steer chucks from local suppliers. The proprietary blend of meats is then put through a two-grind system. Fresh meat is sent to stores daily.

In-N-Out's local bun supplier is Puritan Bakery, a Southern California company known for its hearty, old-fashioned sponge and dough buns.

Nancy Luna/Insider

While Southern California rivals such as McDonald's were franchising and growing quickly, Harry Snyder kept the chain private and grew slowly. In 1973, when In-N-Out turned 25, it had 13 locations.

George Rose/Getty Images

While Southern California rivals such as McDonald's were franchising and growing quickly, Harry Snyder kept the chain private and grew slowly. In 1973, when In-N-Out turned 25, it had 13 locations.

In-N-Out rarely makes menu changes. One big menu addition came in 1975 when the chain added milkshakes.

Nancy Luna/Insider

The merch era also started in 1975 with the debut of the first branded tee featuring a cartoon fryman designed by Harry Snyder.

Nancy Luna/Insider

A new leadership era began in 1976 after the death of Harry Snyder. His youngest son, Rich, took over the company as president. His older brother, Guy, became vice president.

Rich Snyder became president of the chain after his father died, and his brother, Guy, became vice president.CBS This Morning/YouTube

A new leadership era began in 1976 after the death of Harry Snyder. His youngest son, Rich, took over the company as president. His older brother, Guy, became vice president.

In 1972, at the behest of Harry Snyder, In-N-Out planted its first "crossed palm trees" at a restaurant.

Nancy Luna/Insider

In 1974, In-N-Out launched its Cookout Department with an event using a grill and a pickup truck.

In-N-Out's new catering vehicle, The Esther Snyder Cookout Truck, serves mini-versions of burgers and fries. It even sells a mini-Double-Double. Fries are not on the regular Cookout Truck's menu.BTV/In-N-Out

The first 20 restaurants didn't have dining rooms. In 1979, the chain built its first restaurant with a dining room at its 21st store in Ontario, California. After this, the company only built 13 more restaurants without dining rooms.

Nancy Luna/Insider

The first 20 restaurants didn't have dining rooms. In 1979, the chain built its first restaurant with a dining room at its 21st store in Ontario, California. After this, the company only built 13 more restaurants without dining rooms.

In the 1990s, Rich Snyder added Bible verses on cups and paper trays.

"JOHN 3:16" is printed on the bottom inside lip of every cold-beverage cup.Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

During Rich Snyder's tenure, he established In-N-Out University to train entry-level managers from all In-N-Out locations.

Steven B./Foursquare

Rich Snyder and another In-N-Out executive died in a plane crash in 1993 while traveling back from the chain's 93rd restaurant opening. When he took over the company, In-N-Out had 18 restaurants.

CBS This Morning/YouTube

Rich Snyder and another In-N-Out executive died in a plane crash in 1993 while traveling back from the chain's 93rd restaurant opening. When he took over the company, In-N-Out had 18 restaurants.

Guy Snyder ran the company after Rich's death.

CBS This Morning/YouTube

Guy Snyder remained in charge of the company until 1999, when he died from an accidental prescription-drug overdose. His daughter Lynsi Snyder was 17.

CBS This Morning

In a video interview, Lynsi said her father had a drug addiction and had been in and out of rehab facilities since she was 5 years old.

CBS This Morning/YouTube

Lynsi Snyder began working as an associate at In-N-Out in 1999.

Fox 11 Los Angeles/YouTube

Lynsi Snyder soon became known as the "burger queen" or "burger heiress."

CBS This Morning

In 2006, In-N-Out executive Richard Boyd made headlines after he filed a suit against the leadership.

I Am Second

The case was settled before the Snyder matriarch Esther Snyder was to testify. Esther died a few months later, in August 2006.

Screenshot -OC Register

Lynsi Snyder became In-N-Out's president in 2010. She was 27.

BTV/In-N-Out

Under her leadership, In-N-Out unveiled a replica burger stand in 2014 near the original location. "This is a really special spot for me," Snyder said at the time.

Lynsi Snyder at the replica burger stand.BTV/In-N-Out

The company's mission is "about the quality, the friendliness, and the cleanliness," Lynsi Snyder told "CBS This Morning." "We keep it simple."

CBS This Morning/YouTube

The now-41-year-old burger heiress took ownership of the company in 2017, becoming one of the youngest billionaires.

Rich Polk/Stringer/Getty Images

Snyder, a devout Christian like her uncle, has added three more Bible verses to different restaurant products. She added Proverbs 24:16 to french fry containers.

Nancy Luna

She also added Luke 6:35 to the coffee cups and Isaiah 9:6 to the holiday cups.

Nancy Luna

Lynsi Snyder has expanded In-N-Out's footprint to three new states: Texas, Oregon, and Colorado.

Cars line up for the Colorado opening of In-N-Out in February 2021.Getty Images

In 2018, Snyder was the face of the Forbes 400 Wealthiest Americans list. She was also the youngest woman in the group.

The Forbes 400 2018 cover.Forbes

Her net worth is $4.2 billion as of February 2023, according to Forbes.

The Values Institute/YouTube

Snyder has changed almost nothing about the brand, which prides itself on its simple menu of burgers, shakes, fries, and drinks. But she did make one nostalgic menu tweak in 2018 when she added…

Nancy Luna

Snyder has changed almost nothing about the brand, which prides itself on its simple menu of burgers, shakes, fries, and drinks. But she did make one nostalgic menu tweak in 2018 when she added…

…hot cocoa. It was previously on the menu in the 1950s.

Nancy Luna

In 2014, Snyder married Sean Ellingson.

Lynsi Snyder and Sean Ellingson.Azusa Pacific University - Chapels/YouTube

Lynsi Snyder and her husband run a ministry called Army of Love.

BTV/In-N-Out

In interviews, Lynsi Snyder has said she's a thrill-seeker.

Lynsi Snyder doing fire-eating, which she often does during band performances. She also does aerial routines.BTV / In-N-Out

In her free time, Snyder enjoys drag racing, a hobby she started when she was 18 years old.

"Jay Leno's Garage"/YouTube

Besides cars, Snyder also loves rock 'n' roll. She and her husband, Sean, play in the In-N-Out band .48 Special.

BTV/In-N-Out

Lynsi Snyder does vocals, plays bass, and occasionally plays rhythm guitar.

BTV/In-N-Out

In 2015, In-N-Out opened its 300th store in Anaheim, California. Snyder attended the ribbon-cutting. Since then, the chain has added 92 more stores.

MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images

The chain is expanding to two new states: Idaho and Tennessee.

BTV/In-N-Out

When the first restaurants in Nashville open in 2026, they will be In-N-Out's closest locations to the East Coast.

Lynsi Snyder with Tennessee officials.BTV/In-N-Out

Today, Lynsi Snyder is the face of the brand. She is active on Instagram, where she has more than 53,000 followers.

Screenshots of Snyder's Instagram

Some say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that's the case, In-N-Out feels that love constantly. The chain has sued countless restaurant copycats in locations around the world, from Utah to Australia, that have built menus and store designs that look remarkably similar to In-N-Out's.

Nancy Luna/Insider

Some say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that's the case, In-N-Out feels that love constantly. The chain has sued countless restaurant copycats in locations around the world, from Utah to Australia, that have built menus and store designs that look remarkably similar to In-N-Out's.

The chain fiercely protects its brand. It doesn't work with delivery apps or offer online ordering.

DoorDash AppDoorDash

In-N-Out's 75th-anniversary bash will be held on October 22 at the newly named In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.

In-N-Out/NHRA

This summer, Lynsi Snyder said she's written a book about the chain.

Lynsi Snyder

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Cookies on the Business Insider India website

How In-N-Out became one of America's most beloved fast-food dynasties as it marks 75 years under the ownership of the Snyder family

Harry and Esther Snyder opened the first In-N-Out restaurant in 1948. At that time, a burger cost 25 cents.

The Baldwin Park, California, burger stand had a two-way speaker drive-thru system that was considered groundbreaking at the time.

Harry Snyder leaned into Southern California car culture and built restaurants with twin drive-thru lanes and no indoor dining.

The menu was simple and has been kept pretty much the same. The chain serves hamburgers, cheeseburgers, Double-Doubles, french fries, shakes, and beverages.

Patties, buns, potatoes, vegetables, and everything else you can order from the restaurant are delivered to each location via trucks from In-N-Out distribution centers such as this one. The company says nothing is ever frozen or microwaved.

At the chain's beef-processing plant, butchers "bone" cow and steer chucks from local suppliers. The proprietary blend of meats is then put through a two-grind system. Fresh meat is sent to stores daily.

In-N-Out's local bun supplier is Puritan Bakery, a Southern California company known for its hearty, old-fashioned sponge and dough buns.

While Southern California rivals such as McDonald's were franchising and growing quickly, Harry Snyder kept the chain private and grew slowly. In 1973, when In-N-Out turned 25, it had 13 locations.

In-N-Out rarely makes menu changes. One big menu addition came in 1975 when the chain added milkshakes.

The merch era also started in 1975 with the debut of the first branded tee featuring a cartoon fryman designed by Harry Snyder.

A new leadership era began in 1976 after the death of Harry Snyder. His youngest son, Rich, took over the company as president. His older brother, Guy, became vice president.

In 1972, at the behest of Harry Snyder, In-N-Out planted its first "crossed palm trees" at a restaurant.

In 1974, In-N-Out launched its Cookout Department with an event using a grill and a pickup truck.

The first 20 restaurants didn't have dining rooms. In 1979, the chain built its first restaurant with a dining room at its 21st store in Ontario, California. After this, the company only built 13 more restaurants without dining rooms.

In the 1990s, Rich Snyder added Bible verses on cups and paper trays.

During Rich Snyder's tenure, he established In-N-Out University to train entry-level managers from all In-N-Out locations.

Rich Snyder and another In-N-Out executive died in a plane crash in 1993 while traveling back from the chain's 93rd restaurant opening. When he took over the company, In-N-Out had 18 restaurants.

Guy Snyder ran the company after Rich's death.

Guy Snyder remained in charge of the company until 1999, when he died from an accidental prescription-drug overdose. His daughter Lynsi Snyder was 17.

In a video interview, Lynsi said her father had a drug addiction and had been in and out of rehab facilities since she was 5 years old.

Lynsi Snyder began working as an associate at In-N-Out in 1999.

Lynsi Snyder soon became known as the "burger queen" or "burger heiress."

In 2006, In-N-Out executive Richard Boyd made headlines after he filed a suit against the leadership.

The case was settled before the Snyder matriarch Esther Snyder was to testify. Esther died a few months later, in August 2006.

Lynsi Snyder became In-N-Out's president in 2010. She was 27.

Under her leadership, In-N-Out unveiled a replica burger stand in 2014 near the original location. "This is a really special spot for me," Snyder said at the time.

The company's mission is "about the quality, the friendliness, and the cleanliness," Lynsi Snyder told "CBS This Morning." "We keep it simple."

The now-41-year-old burger heiress took ownership of the company in 2017, becoming one of the youngest billionaires.

Snyder, a devout Christian like her uncle, has added three more Bible verses to different restaurant products. She added Proverbs 24:16 to french fry containers.

She also added Luke 6:35 to the coffee cups and Isaiah 9:6 to the holiday cups.

Lynsi Snyder has expanded In-N-Out's footprint to three new states: Texas, Oregon, and Colorado.

In 2018, Snyder was the face of the Forbes 400 Wealthiest Americans list. She was also the youngest woman in the group.

Her net worth is $4.2 billion as of February 2023, according to Forbes.

Snyder has changed almost nothing about the brand, which prides itself on its simple menu of burgers, shakes, fries, and drinks. But she did make one nostalgic menu tweak in 2018 when she added…

…hot cocoa. It was previously on the menu in the 1950s.

In 2014, Snyder married Sean Ellingson.

Lynsi Snyder and her husband run a ministry called Army of Love.

In interviews, Lynsi Snyder has said she's a thrill-seeker.

In her free time, Snyder enjoys drag racing, a hobby she started when she was 18 years old.

Besides cars, Snyder also loves rock 'n' roll. She and her husband, Sean, play in the In-N-Out band .48 Special.

Lynsi Snyder does vocals, plays bass, and occasionally plays rhythm guitar.

In 2015, In-N-Out opened its 300th store in Anaheim, California. Snyder attended the ribbon-cutting. Since then, the chain has added 92 more stores.

The chain is expanding to two new states: Idaho and Tennessee.

When the first restaurants in Nashville open in 2026, they will be In-N-Out's closest locations to the East Coast.

Today, Lynsi Snyder is the face of the brand. She is active on Instagram, where she has more than 53,000 followers.

Some say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that's the case, In-N-Out feels that love constantly. The chain has sued countless restaurant copycats in locations around the world, from Utah to Australia, that have built menus and store designs that look remarkably similar to In-N-Out's.

The chain fiercely protects its brand. It doesn't work with delivery apps or offer online ordering.

In-N-Out's 75th-anniversary bash will be held on October 22 at the newly named In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.

This summer, Lynsi Snyder said she's written a book about the chain.