In-N-Out Burger

Some History Behind the Family-Owned Burger Joint and Why People Love It So Much!

As I have mentioned before, when my family travels the country, we like to try new places that we don’t have in our area!

My son loves trying new burger places, so when he heard we were going to Utah on our trip out west, he said, “As soon as we find a town that serves In-N-Out Burger, we HAVE TOO stop, no matter what!”  So we gave him the task to find an In-N-Out Burger on a route that was on our road trip.

A Little History of In-N-Out Burger

Harry Snyder and his wife Ester were the masterminds behind In-N-Out Burger.  Harry was born in 1913 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and passed away in 1976 of cancer in California.  His wife Ester was born in 1920 in Sorento, Illinois and passed away in 2006 in California. She outlived her husband and both of their sons.  Harry and Ester met in 1947 when they were living in Seatle, Washington working at a restaurant. A year later they were married and moved to Baldwin Park, a suburb of Los Angles, California.

Harry and Ester wanted a family business, never to be franchised, that treated both their customers and employees like family.  They both believed in fresh ingredients, so Harry would do the shopping and make the burgers by hand, cut potatoes and bake fresh buns; he used real ice cream for their milkshakes. Their menu was and still is simple, yes, but sometimes that is all we need; and more simplicity in these times would be better, just my opinion.  Their milkshakes then and now are Chocolate, Vanilla or Strawberry made with real ice cream!

In 1948 they opened their first location in their town of Baldwin Park. Harry did the shopping for In-N-Out Burger and ran the restaurant, while Ester did the accounting for them out of their home not far from their first In-N-Out, all while raising their two sons.

Rich, the youngest son, became President of In-N-Out Burger after his father passed away. Unfortunately, Rich died a tragic death in a plane crash while returning home from a trip scouting for property to expand locations to southern California; this happened just months short of the move of In-N-Out Burger corporate headquarters to Irvine, CA.  Their other son, Guy, who was VP of In-N-Out Burger, took over the role as President after Rich passed away, till his unexpected passing in 1999. Rich’s daughter, Lynsi Snyder, is now the owner and President of In-N-Out Burger and plans to pass the business down to her children, staying in the guidelines of her grandparents: Never to franchise it and keeping the menu the same with fresh ingredients.  To this day they don’t freeze, use pre-packaged food, or microwave their products.

Two Way Speakers Invented for Drive Thru Dining, Thank You, Harry!

Shortly after their opening in 1948, Harry invented the two-way speaker, or some call it an intercom so that people didn’t have to get out of their car to purchase this delightful but straightforward hamburger.  That is what In-N-Out Burger implies, a quick place to get something fast. Thank you, Harry!

Nowadays that is how most people order at fast food restaurants.  If I am in a hurry when grabbing something at a drive-thru restaurant, I sometimes will park and go into the restaurant to get my food quicker, because the line is usually shorter inside, (not always) than the drive-through.  Other times when I don’t think I am wearing the proper attire or I’m tired, I will do the drive-thru, no matter how long the line.

I do find myself at times wanting to use a Starbucks drive-through because living in my area for so long, if I go inside, chances are I will run into someone I know, and either I don’t have the time to chat, or I am just looking for some alone time.  I love talking and running into people usually, just ask my kids!

We Have Arrived!

So when my son found an In-N-Out Burger, we all headed in to eat some meat!  I, of course, being an ice cream lover, had to have one of their milkshakes. Our daughter doesn’t desire burgers, so she had their grilled cheese sandwich.  Even their paper goods are interesting… they have Palm Trees on them! Hey, they started in southern California. But back to the food… it was all simply delicious!

The burgers were good and simple.  This particular In-N-Out Burger was very busy; I assume most of their locations are. Now our family can check In-N-Out Burger off our #LiveList and search for the next burger joint around.

In 2015 they opened their 300th family owned In-N-Out Burger restaurant in California. If you are looking to visit an In-N-Out Burger, a location can be found in Calfornia, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, and Texas.

If you have visited an In-N-Out Burger, let us know your experience.  Or if there is a burger place you would suggest that we should check out, please tell us.  It doesn’t matter where it is in this world; we will at some point most likely visit, so please let us know.

Click here to see if there is a location you would like to visit!

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