Seventy-five years ago, California got its first taste of a drive-thru hamburger. Harry and Esther Snyder opened a modest 10-by-10-foot hamburger stand in Baldwin Park just east of Los Angeles. The sign read: “In-N-Out Hamburgers: No Delay.” Had the original location not stood in the way of the incoming Interstate 10 that stretches across the continental United States, it would still be standing. In 2014, as an homage to the original, the fast food chain constructed an exact replica of the hamburger stand near its original location. Since that first hamburger stand opened on October 22, 1948, at 4:15 pm, In-N-Out Burger has built more than 400 locations, and it has expanded as far north as Oregon and as far east as Texas.
Lynsi Snyder is the granddaughter of Harry and Esther and became president of the major fast food company in 2010. Under her guiding hand, In-N-Out Burger has continued to thrive and expand, not as a corporate conglomerate, but as a family business. As with the reconstruction of the original location, the third-generation Snyder has vowed to use the company’s history to guide its future.
The core of that history originates from what was known as “Harry’s bible”—a collection of managerial principles concerning how to serve customers and treat employees, ranging from how to properly toast buns to accurately filling out a daily report. “Most of the basics that my grandfather taught his managers are followed to this day,” Ms. Snyder said.
She noted that the priorities of the company are always its customers and employees, and that In-N-Out Burger seeks ways to go beyond what is expected in both customer service and work environment. “Our customers are our number one asset. They are what drive our commitment to quality, friendliness, and cleanliness,” she said. “It’s about giving the customer exactly what they want as long as it doesn’t compromise food safety or throw off our operation. Saying yes whenever possible is part of who we are.”
From the Top
Ms. Snyder details what gave rise to this company culture in her new book, “The Ins-N-Outs of In-N-Out Burger: The Inside Story of California’s First Drive-Thru and How It Became a Beloved Cultural Icon.” The book is an amalgamation exemplifying how today’s restaurant chain continues to embrace yesterday’s core values.
In order for customers to remain satisfied, or more than satisfied, with their experience, Ms. Snyder acknowledged that it has to start from the top. It has to start with training. Like any good owner, CEO, or president knows, a company is only as good as its employees. Or to use Snyder’s term: associates. “To me, our associates are family, and we take care of them as such,” she said. “We want people to grow with us, … then stay with our company for the long-term. That’s the legacy of our family life down through the years.”
Ms. Snyder stated that the average store manager has been with In-N-Out Burger for over 18 years. Some have been with the company for as long as 50. It is the quality of the product—from the food, to the welcoming environment of the restaurant, to the friendly associates who take the orders or the managers who create those accurate daily reports—that is the reason why In-N-Out has become somewhat of a phenomenon for the western portion of the country. It also helps that the average In-N-Out Burger store manager earns more than $180,000 annually—about three times the national average. The company also hosts a yearly company picnic with burgers, hotdogs, and a friendly game of volleyball.
More Than Business
For Ms. Snyder, and the generations that came before her, caring for both associates and customers originates from something deeper than business acumen or understanding the importance of quality over quantity. In her book, she calls it “servant leadership,” and this type of leadership is inspired by her Christian faith.
“God is the glue that holds In-N-Out Burger together, and I never forget who’s ultimately responsible for our success,” she said. “I lean on God as I lead In-N-Out. … I see a kind of practical faith showing up in everything we do at In-N-Out Burger. We treat others the way we want to be treated. It’s as simple as that.”
The simplicity behind this rule of business has extended far beyond the confines of the fast food industry. The burger chain also hopes to shed some light into the darkest realms of society. Six years after becoming president of In-N-Out Burger, Ms. Snyder, together with her husband, launched the Slave 2 Nothing Foundation, which financially assists more than 100 organizations across seven states that help people find freedom from drug addiction and human trafficking. Thus far, the Slave 2 Nothing Foundation has granted more than $6.3 million to these organizations.
The Foundation is a reflection of her grandmother. In 1984, Esther Snyder, together with Rich Snyder and Lynsi’s mother, launched the In-N-Out Burger Foundation, which focused on combating and preventing child abuse. Ms. Snyder fully understands what has been given, or rather what has been passed down through the generations to her. Continuing that legacy is a great responsibility (not to mention all the other responsibilities that come with being the president of a major brand, as well as the responsibilities that come with being a wife and mother of four, which she says include picking the kids up from school, being home for dinner, and going on planned dates with each one).
Grandma Esther is well remembered by employees as someone who “led by example and taught the value of good work ethics, hard work, dedication, honesty, and integrity”—something Ms. Snyder hopes to embrace in her approach to leadership: She tries to be open and vulnerable with her staff so that they can trust her, and she emphasizes more work-life balance to prevent burnout, for herself and her staff. For Ms. Snyder, the business legacy remains a family legacy.
“For me, it’s all about loving our associates and customers and maintaining the legacy my family created and carrying us into the future with every important part still intact,” she said. “I love this job, and I love In-N-Out.”
A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the number of In-N-Out locations and misspelled Ms. Snyder’s last name in the headline. American Essence regrets the error.
