Harry and Esther Snyder made one hell of a good burger and shake company!
Harry Snyder was born in Vancouver, had a hard-scrabble upbringing in Seattle and Santa Monica, Calif., often working odd jobs to help support his parents and older sisters, and spent his World War II Army deployment in a series of desk jobs due to a perforated ear drum.
Esther Snyder grew up in challenging circumstances, as one of eight children in rural Illinois. Unlike Harry, Esther made a college degree a priority. Working part time and taking care of her ill grandmother, she received a teaching certificate and then enrolled in the women’s arm of the Naval Reserve during World War II as a surgical nurse in the Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service (WAVES) program.
After the war, she moved to Seattle, where she finished her bachelor’s degree in zoology from Seattle Pacific University. At 27, she was managing a restaurant in Fort Lawton where she met Harry, 34. With the creation of In-N-Out, her role in the company’s success ranged from slicing the first potatoes and hand-forming meat patties to keeping the books and ultimately guiding the business as President
Love struck fast, and they married in 1948. Then it was off to Los Angeles to start their new life, also in the food arena. The pair settled in fast-growing Baldwin Park near Los Angeles. While at Fort Lawton, Harry had noticed the increasing popularity of the boxed lunches he delivered. In L.A., he saw the postwar appetite for independence and pleasure and imagined the car becoming a larger aspect of California life. He noticed that Baldwin Park had few restaurants, yet was on a busy route between L.A. and Palm Springs -- a perfect spot for a hamburger stand.
The practical Snyders named it In-N-Out to evoke car culture convenience. Harry received $5,000 startup capital from local businessman Charles Noddin and opened the first store in October 1948 on Garvey Avenue, across from the home he shared with Esther. Adding spark to his concept, Harry developed a two-way radio ordering system that let customers get a quick meal without leaving their cars.
After three years, in 1951, In-N-Out opened a second location in nearby Covina. Noddin and Harry soon dissolved the partnership after the investor got greedy and pushed to cut costs by reducing employee pay and using cheaper ingredients.
Harry vowed to never again take on outside financing. Harry didn’t dream of putting an In-N-Out on every corner. His goal was to create a sustainable and healthy business to pass on to his sons. You can see how integrity and honesty has resulted in the most admired family owned burger business in the west...
The longtime association of In-N-Out with drag racing and classic cars builds on Harry’s initial 1965 50% investment in the development of Irwindale Drag Strip. In-N-Out burgers were sold in the concession stands to racers and fans who spread their enthusiasm across the country.
In-N-Out continues to expand, in large part to provide professional opportunities to those who helped build the firm. Harry and Esther had two conditions: (1) They had to own a building outright. (2) They had to know who would manage it. Quality and customer service continues to maintain the high standards of the owners by a customer care line, a toll-free phone system staffed by those who have worked at In-N-Out restaurants.
The original owner, Harry, grew the business to 18 stores, the next generation, and their mom Esther as president, expanded another 122 stores. Since 1999, it's doubled. (insert double double joke). The only grandchild, Lynsi, took the presidency after a slew of problems, in 2010 and has 4 kids to pass it on to.
'X’ marks the spot! Snyder introduced crossed palm trees in front of most stores in 1972. He got the idea from the 1963 movie ‘It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,’ where characters hunted for treasure beneath four crossed palms.
https://www.ocregister.com/2013/02/27/drag-racing-heiress-keeps-in-n-out-on-course/
https://www.chowhound.com/features/didnt-burger-422
https://www.buzztopix.com/how-lynsi-snyder-heiress-of-in-n-out-burger-really-lives/
https://www.investors.com/news/management/leaders-and-success/harry-and-esther-snyder-boosted-taste-and-sales-at-in-n-out/
http://thechive.com/2015/09/23/a-few-in-n-out-burger-facts-to-feed-your-hunger-14-photos/
https://californiathroughmylens.com/in-n-out-replica
https://www.kcet.org/food-living/the-triumph-and-tragedy-of-in-n-outs-first-family
http://www.in-n-out.com/history.aspx
I stopped at the Baldwin Park In n Out once when I was driving from Calexico to LAX. They have a replica of the original restaurant around the corner from the current restaurant.
ReplyDeleteyes, someone is there on weekends I read, I'm not sure if they cook, or just talk to tourists
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