10 surprising things you didn't know about In-N-Out

Advertisement
10 surprising things you didn't know about In-N-Out
Advertisement

In-N-Out became California's first drive-thru hamburger stand when it opened in 1948.

In-N-Out became California's first drive-thru hamburger stand when it opened in 1948.
An In-N-Out Burger menu from the 1960s.Courtesy of In-N-Out Burger.

In-N-Out was founded by newlyweds Harry and Esther Snyder. According to the chain, Harry Snyder visited the local meat and produce markets to buy fresh ingredients for his 10-foot-wide hamburger stand. Esther handled the accounting for the restaurant from their house, which was located near the stand around the corner from Baldwin Park.

While some new items have been added since 1948, the menu is still pretty similar to the original menu, offering basic fast-food items like burgers and fries.

The menu has stayed practically the same, although you could get a hamburger in 1948 for just a quarter.

The menu has stayed practically the same, although you could get a hamburger in 1948 for just a quarter.
In-N-Out hamburger.Erin McDowell/Insider

A cheeseburger cost just five cents more, while fries cost 15 cents and bottled soft drinks ran 10 cents.

Advertisement

In-N-Out is credited as the first chain to have a two-way speaker system for drive-thru orders.

In-N-Out is credited as the first chain to have a two-way speaker system for drive-thru orders.
An In-N-Out worker handing a meal to a customer through a drive-thru window.Adam Lau / AP

In-N-Out founder Harry Snyder invented the two-way speaker system from his own garage in 1948. The innovation allowed customers the convenience of not having to leave their cars or speak to an employee face-to-face in order to place their orders.

For the first decade that In-N-Out was open, it didn't serve fountain drinks.

For the first decade that In-N-Out was open, it didn't serve fountain drinks.
The fountain drink station at In-N-Out.Erin McDowell/Getty Images

In 1958, In-N-Out replaced its bottled drinks with fountain service, offering customers beverages like Pepsi Cola, Nesbitt Orange, and Hires Root Beer. According to In-N-Out, a 12-ounce soda cost just 10 cents at the time.

Advertisement

The famous Double-Double wasn't added to the menu until 1963.

The famous Double-Double wasn't added to the menu until 1963.
In-N-Out Double-Double on a tray with fries and sauces.Erin McDowell/Insider

At the time, it cost just 60 cents for the double-patty burger with two slices of cheese, lettuce, tomato, sliced onions, and the chain's signature spread.

In-N-Out's now-iconic "animal-style burgers" were prepared in response to customers' requests.

In-N-Out's now-iconic "animal-style burgers" were prepared in response to customers' requests.
In-N-Out "animal-style" Double-Double.Erin McDowell/Insider

The recipe is still the same today as it was in the 1960s: a mustard-cooked beef patty, lettuce, tomato, pickles, extra spread, and grilled onions.

Advertisement

In-N-Out heiress and company president Lynsi Snyder started out by working in the kitchen of an In-N-Out restaurant.

In-N-Out heiress and company president Lynsi Snyder started out by working in the kitchen of an In-N-Out restaurant.
Lynsi Snyder in front of an In-N-Out sign.Leonard Ortiz/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty; Adam Lau/AP; Shayanne Gal/Business Insider

Snyder is the granddaughter of In-N-Out founder Harry Snyder. Her uncle Rich Snyder ran the business for 17 years up until he died in a tragic plane crash, and Lynsi Snyder's father took over. However, he passed away due to an accidental drug overdose in 1999. Lynsi Snyder took the reigns of the family business in 2010 — though she had to work her way up to get the position.

According to Orange Coast Magazine, Snyder worked in the kitchen as a teenager, doing tasks like peeling potatoes and slicing onions.

"Of course, I would cry every time... I was really excited to work there because it was the family business. It was fun, and I thought it would make my dad happy," she told Orange Coast Magazine in 2014.

Lynsi Snyder is now potentially the youngest female billionaire in America. Forbes estimates her net worth at a whopping $4.2 billion, a chunk of which she received on her 35th birthday as a part of her inheritance.

The recipe for In-N-Out's famous spread hasn't changed since 1948.

The recipe for In-N-Out's famous spread hasn't changed since 1948.
In-N-Out "animal-style" fries.Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

The chain's recipe for its spread is top-secret, although it is similar in taste and consistency to a Thousand Island dressing. One copycat recipe calls for mayonnaise, ketchup, sweet pickle relish, sugar, and distilled white vinegar.

Advertisement

In-N-Out's not-so-secret menu offers six popular variations on its classic menu.

In-N-Out's not-so-secret menu offers six popular variations on its classic menu.
In-N-Out grilled cheese.Aly Weisman/Business Insider

In-N-Out's "secret menu" isn't so secret, given that guests can easily order its various menu items by name. Some of the interesting menu items include a grilled cheese made with American cheese and the chain's burger buns and the "4x4," a massive burger with four burger patties.

Celebrities like the Kardashians and even celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay love In-N-Out.

Celebrities like the Kardashians and even celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay love In-N-Out.
Kim Kardashian.Raymond Hall/GC Images

According to People, Kim Kardashian's go-to order is a plain cheeseburger, cheese fries, and a vanilla shake. Kardashian loves the burger chain so much that on her 40th birthday, she received an In-N-Out Burger cake from a friend.

"OK, so I know this is a very belated birthday cake, but Fajer's been in France and our thing when we're together is we always go to like fancy events together where we're wearing gowns and we always ditch the event to go to In-N-Out," the reality star said on her Instagram Story.

Kylie Jenner also told Harper's Bazaar that during her first pregnancy, she ate In-N-Out "at least once a week."

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay says he loves the chain's Double-Double so much that he sometimes goes back for seconds.

"People think Americans are obese and burgers are bad for them — they are delicious. In-N-Out burgers were extraordinary," he told the Scottish newspaper the Sunday Mail in 2008. "I was so bad, I sat in the restaurant, had my double cheeseburger then minutes later I drove back round and got the same thing again to take away."

Advertisement