In-N-Out Burger was founded in Irvine, California, in 1948, by husband-and-wife team Harry and Esther Snyder. The first restaurant location was in Baldwin Park but the chain has since expanded throughout the Southwest, with locations in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Texas. Harry died in 1976 and Esther followed in 2008, but it's remained a family business to this day, with Lynsi Martinez, Harry and Esther's only grandchild, currently at the helm.
On the company website, it's claimed that it was Harry who pioneered the concept of a drive-thru hamburger stand, where customers could order through a two-way speaker box instead of being served by a carhop. Turned out to be a pretty popular concept.
It was in 1992 that the first In-N-Out debuted in Las Vegas, which was also the first location outside of southern California. According to Wikipedia, as of January of this year there were a total of 268 In-N-Out restaurants, of which nine are located in the Vegas Valley, with no location more than one day's drive from a regional distribution center. The latter currently include the original Baldwin Park location, plus three more in Phoenix, Arizona, Draper, Utah, and Dallas, Texas. There are plans to expand further, including a new Texas distribution center, but we haven't seen any specifics, nor any hint of new distribution centers outside of the Southwest. Sorry!
A favorite among celebrity chefs, including the likes of Thomas Keller, Paul Bartolotta, and Charlie Palmer, who all picked it as their favorite fast-food option for an Esquire magazine poll in 2009, In-N-Out continues to enjoy something close to cult status, with a loyal following of devotees who helped vote it to a landslide victory in our recent "Best Burger" Reader Poll.
From the outset, quality control was a cornerstone of the In-N-Out philosophy, to the extent that new managers are trained at an In-N-Out "University" and all stores must adhere to the premise of serving customers the freshest, highest quality ingredients available, with an emphasis on friendly service and impeccable hygiene standards. According to the official website, the menu of burgers, fries, and shakes has pretty much stayed the same since 1948, although we're guessing there's been the odd addition or modification along the way, like the bunless burger, perhaps? As part of the company ethos of encouraging a committed staff and high levels of customer service, the workforce is rewarded with pay that starts at $10/hr, significantly higher than minimum wage.
Although the business has been consistently successful, In-N-Out's history is not without its tragedies or controversies. In 1993, Rich Snyder, son of Harry and Esther, who was then company president, died in a plane crash. His brother, Guy, assumed the presidency but died a few years later from an overdose of painkillers. Some boardroom feuding in 2006 was finally settled out of court, while a company in Utah that set up a number of restaurants that basically ripped off In-N-Out's signature menu, was reported to the company by loyal customers and subsequently went out of business when the original chain opened up competing neighboring restaurants.
One factoid of which we weren't aware, prior to researching this answer, is that the Snyder family's strong Christian beliefs are subtly promoted via discreet references to Bible verses on the company's containers, a practice introduced during the 1980s. For example, the burger and cheeseburger wrappers reference Revelation, 3:20, which states, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me."
