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 Luna
- 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.
Source: In-N-Out and The Orange County Register
The Baldwin Park, California, burger stand had a two-way speaker drive-thru system that was considered groundbreaking at the time.
Source: The Orange County Register
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.
In 1961, the first Animal Style burger was created in response to customer requests. The mustard-cooked beef patty is served with pickles, lettuce, grilled onions, and extra spread. It was originally a custom creation by early In-N-Out workers. Rowdy late-night customers, referred to as "animals" by some In-N-Out workers, discovered the burger and kept ordering it. "That's how Animal Style burgers got their name," Snyder wrote in her book. "Even though our menu has stayed the same for decades, secret menu items are often requested."
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.
Source: "CBS This Morning"
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.
Source: The Orange County Register
In-N-Out's local bun supplier is Puritan Bakery, a Southern California company known for its hearty, old-fashioned sponge and dough buns.
According to Lynsi Snyder's new book, her grandfather, Harry, "experimented with at least six bakeries before going with one that met his standards." Harry Snyder liked the sponge and dough process because it makes for a "properly toasted bun," Snyder wrote.
Source: The Orange County Register
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.
Source: In-N-Out
In-N-Out rarely makes menu changes. One big menu addition came in 1975 when the chain added milkshakes.
Fun shake fact: You can order a combo of vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate shakes. Just ask for a Neapolitan shake when you order.
Source: In-N-Out
The merch era also started in 1975 with the debut of the first branded tee featuring a cartoon fryman designed by Harry Snyder.
Shirts and other swag — including pins, hats, beach towels, socks, and magnets — are available to purchase on the website.
Source: In-N-Out
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.
Source: In-N-Out
In 1972, at the behest of Harry Snyder, In-N-Out planted its first "crossed palm trees" at a restaurant.
Snyder got the idea from a movie, "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," where characters chase treasure buried under four palm trees planted to resemble the letter W. Now most In-N-Out locations have crossed palm trees.
Source: In-N-Out
In 1974, In-N-Out launched its Cookout Department with an event using a grill and a pickup truck.
Today, the chain has more than 10 cookout trucks that cater special events such as weddings, birthdays, and concerts.
Source: 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.
Source: In-N-Out
In the 1990s, Rich Snyder added Bible verses on cups and paper trays.
"He had just accepted the Lord," Lynsi Snyder later said in a Christian Post interview.
Source: "California's Gold" and Christian Post
During Rich Snyder's tenure, he established In-N-Out University to train entry-level managers from all In-N-Out locations.
The university operated out of store No. 1 in Baldwin Park for years until it got its own building in 1984. The Snyders believed in paying employees above industry standards. Today, the average manager makes $180,000 a year, according to Snyder.
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 took on the role of chair of the board and executive vice president, and Esther Snyder became President.
Source: "CBS This Morning" and "The Ins-N-Outs of In-N-Out Burger"
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.
Source: "CBS This Morning" and Lynsi Snyder's bio
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.
Source: "I Am Second"
Lynsi Snyder began working as an associate at In-N-Out in 1999.
In her new book, Lynsi Snyder said that after her father died, "a team of executives" continued to run the chain's day-to-day operations. Executives such as Mark Taylor, who retired as chief operating officer in 2020, "kept things running smoothly," she wrote.
Source: I Am Second and "The Ins-N-Outs of In-N-Out Burger"
Lynsi Snyder soon became known as the "burger queen" or "burger heiress."
"I was the only direct blood relative still living. But I was only 17 when my dad died. For the next several years, there was no way I could run the company," Snyder wrote.
Source: I Am Second
In 2006, In-N-Out executive Richard Boyd made headlines after he filed a suit against the leadership.
Specifically, Boyd accused then-23-year-old Lynsi Martinez, Lynsi Snyder's married name at the time, of leading a coup to oust her grandmother as president so she could take the chain national.
In-N-Out and Lynsi Snyder denied the allegations. The chain countersued Boyd, accusing him of embezzling company funds.
Source: The Orange County Register
The case was settled before the Snyder matriarch Esther Snyder was to testify. Esther died a few months later, in August 2006.
Her role in the company's success ranged from slicing the first potatoes to keeping the books in the early days of the business.
Source: The Orange County Register, In-N-Out and "The Ins-N-Outs of In-N-Out Burger"
Lynsi Snyder became In-N-Out's president in 2010. She was 27.
She became the chain's new leader. "My intention was to lead the company with the same values that had been passed on to me," she wrote in her book.
Source: Insider and "The Ins-N-Outs of In-N-Out Burger"
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.
Source: The Orange County Register
The company's mission is "about the quality, the friendliness, and the cleanliness," Lynsi Snyder told "CBS This Morning." "We keep it simple."
When asked about her plans for In-N-Out, Snyder told CBS in 2015 she would never take the company public or franchise its restaurants.
Source: "CBS This Morning"
The now-41-year-old burger heiress took ownership of the company in 2017, becoming one of the youngest billionaires.
Source: Business Insider
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.
Source: Forbes
Her net worth is $4.2 billion as of February 2023, according to Forbes.
Source: 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.
"I'm not sure how it fell off the menu, but it's part of our culture and something special for kids, and I'm happy that we're bringing it back," Snyder told the Orange County Register.
Source: The Orange County Register
In 2014, Snyder married Sean Ellingson.
She told an audience at Azusa Pacific University that she met her soon-to-be fourth husband on the dating app Tinder.
Source: I Am Second, Business Insider, Azusa Pacific University — Chapels
Lynsi Snyder and her husband run a ministry called Army of Love.
Their mission is to "enlist, train and equip an army of love" to help anyone in need of support.
Source: Army of Love
In interviews, Lynsi Snyder has said she's a thrill-seeker.
"I'm a lot like my dad, a little bit of a daredevil," she told Orange Coast Magazine in 2014. "I like an adrenaline rush."
Source: Orange Coast Magazine
In her free time, Snyder enjoys drag racing, a hobby she started when she was 18 years old.
"I just love muscle cars," she told the National Hot Rod Association of why she races. "I love the whole sport."
Source: Orange Coast Magazine
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.
Source: The Orange County Register and In-N-Out
The chain is expanding to two new states: Idaho and Tennessee.
Source: In-N-Out, Idaho State Journal
When the first restaurants in Nashville open in 2026, they will be In-N-Out's closest locations to the East Coast.
In-N-Out's Tennessee locations will be the closest the brand has ever gotten to the East Coast, where Double-Double fans have long yearned for locations closer to home.
In-N-Out has said it will build an Eastern territory office in Franklin, Tennessee. Lynsi Snyder noted the significance of the expansion in a press statement, saying it is farther "east than we've ever been."
Today, Lynsi Snyder is the face of the brand. She is active on Instagram, where she has more than 53,000 followers.
She posts updates about her charities, her In-N-Out family, her friends, her favorite foods, and brand swag.
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.
Source: NRN and The Orange County Register
The chain fiercely protects its brand. It doesn't work with delivery apps or offer online ordering.
In 2015, it sued the food-delivery company DoorDash for listing In-N-Out on its app without permission.
Source: The Orange County Register
In-N-Out's 75th-anniversary bash will be held on October 22 at the newly named In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
The company took over the naming rights of the legendary Southern California drag strip this year.
This summer, Lynsi Snyder said she's written a book about the chain.
It is set to be released in October. "I have waited so long to tell the true In-N-Out story," she wrote on her Instagram page.
Source: "The Ins-N-Outs of In-N-Out Burger"
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