In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules [Hardcover]

Stacy Perman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 2009

The untold story of the renegade burger chain that evokes a passionate following unlike any other

In fast-food corporate America, In-N-Out Burger stands apart. Begun in a tiny shack in the shadow of World War II, this family-owned chain has stead­fastly refused to franchise or be sold. It is a testament to old-fashioned values and rem­iniscent of a simpler time when people, loyalty, and a freshly made, juicy hamburger meant something. Over time, In-N-Out Burger has become nothing less than a cultural institu­tion that can lay claim to an insanely loyal following.

Perman uses her investigative skills to uncover the story of a real American success story. It is not only a tale of a unique and profitable business that exceeds all expectations, but of a family's struggle to maintain a sustainable pop empire against the industry it helped pioneer, internal tensions, and a bitter lawsuit that threatened to bring the company to the brink.

This is a lesson in a counterintuitive approach to doing business that places quality, customers, and employees over the riches promised by rapid expansion. In-N-Out Burger is a keenly observed narrative that explores the evolution of a California fad that transformed into an enduring cult of popularity; it is also the story of the conflicted, secretive, and ultimately tragic Snyder family who cooked a billion burgers and hooked a zillion fans. As the story of In-N-Out Burger unfolds, so too does the cultural history of America as influenced and shaped by car culture and fast food.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Amazon Best of the Month, April 2009: With In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules, BusinessWeek writer Stacy Perman presents a chronicle of how a family-run California hamburger joint went on to become an American pop culture icon. Founded in 1948 by Harry Snyder and his wife Esther in Baldwin Park, CA, In-N-Out Burger attracted a cult-like fanbase of cruising teens, surfers, and celebrities alike (who developed a secret shorthand for custom orders). As they expanded slowly over the years across California and into Nevada, Arizona, and Utah, they never sacrificed their core customer-service values and commitment to quality. Their made-to-order success story packs enough family drama to fuel an HBO miniseries. After Harry died in 1976, his son Rich took over the business (and was responsible for adding discreet Bible verses to In-N-Out cups and wrappers) until his death in a 1993 plane crash. His brother Guy, a drag-racing rebel with a dark side, stepped in to helm the business until his accidental overdose in 1999. If you've never had an In-N-Out burger, Perman's book just might inspire you to find a good reason to get yourself to Southern California and seek out an off-the-menu 3x3 with a side of Animal Style fries. --Brad Thomas Parsons

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Author Stacy Perman's Guide to In-N-Out Burger's "Secret Menu"
Except for the addition of 7-Up and Dr. Pepper, In-N-Out Burger's menu has remained much as it was when the chain opened its first drive-thru in Baldwin Park, California in 1948. However, at some point in time, a "secret menu" emerged. Something of an insider's code, it is an off-menu series of variations on the chain's standard fare (Double-Double, hamburger, cheeseburger, and french fries) that has been passed on entirely by word-of-mouth through the years.

Although the "secret menu's" origins remain a mystery, part of its existence can be explained by the fact that In-N-Out Burger has always insisted on cooking-to-order each individual burger any way a customer wanted it prepared. Over time, several of these variations gained traction and somewhere along the way a number of them were given their own names. While frequently steeped in rumor and apocryphal tales the "secret menu" is almost always used by those In-N-Out customers in the know.

These are the most popular "secret menu" items. In-N-Out Burger has listed them on their website (and even trademarked their names):
Double Meat: Two beef patties, lettuce, tomato, spread, (optional onions) on a toasted bun.
3x3: Three beef patties, lettuce, tomato, sauce, three slices of American cheese, (optional onions) on a toasted bun.
4x4: Four beef patties, lettuce, tomato, sauce, four slices of American cheese, (optional onions) on a toasted bun.
Grilled Cheese: Two slices of melted American cheese, lettuce, tomato, sauce, (optional onions) on a toasted bun.
Protein Style: Any burger served sans bun and wrapped in lettuce.
Animal Style: Any burger with mustard cooked beef, lettuce, tomato, extra sauce, pickle, and grilled onions on a toasted bun. (Note: the Grilled Cheese can also be prepared Animal Style)

A few more "secret" variations that have made the rounds for those in the know:
X x Y: Any number of beef patties with corresponding slices of American cheese (note on one memorable Halloween evening in Las Vegas a group of friends famously ordered and consumed a 100x100).
Flying Dutchman: beef patty or patties and American cheese slice(s) no vegetables or bun.
Veggie Burger (sometimes called a Wish Burger): no beef or cheese, just lettuce, tomato, or (optional) onions on a toasted bun.
Extra Everything: just like it sounds--extra sauce, tomato, lettuce, and onions served grilled or raw.
Chopped Chilies: mild chopped peppers are added to any burger.

The "secret menu" also extends to a variety of french fry variations:
Animal Style Fries: an order of fries slathered in melted American cheese, sauce, and grilled onions.
Fries Light: reduced cooking time resulting in softer, chewier french fries.
Fries Well-Done: increased cooking time resulting in crispier, browner french fries.
Cheese Fries: french fries bathed in melted American cheese.
Onion Variations:
The usual scenario is a whole slice of fresh onion cooked with the burger but In-N-Out will serve onions grilled, raw, and chopped if asked.

For those really in the know:
If you ask an associate at the counter they will give you a serving of yellow chili peppers.
Pickles are added only upon request.

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From Publishers Weekly

Perman (Spies Inc.) casts an affectionate and admiring eye at In-N-Out Burger, the family-owned, Southern California chain that has become a cultural institution without franchising, going public, changing its menu or precooking its burgers. This book traces the history of the company and the Snyders, the family that founded and still owns In-N-Out, interspersed with the evolution of the fast-food industry. Perman never makes good on her promise to go behind-the-counter and analyze the company's dealings—her access to executives and family members did not extend to gleaning financial or strategic information—consequently it's never clear whether In-N-Out's conservatism is a conscious business strategy, a personal preference of the owners or plain complacency. More a glowing fan letter from an appreciative customer than exposé, this book has more to say about the company's celebrity fans, American family dynamics and our collective love affair with fast food. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: HarperBusiness (April 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061346713
• ISBN-13: 978-0061346712
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #104,225 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars In-N-Out History - It's Not all Here, May 27, 2009

By 

Thomas Evans (Fallbrook, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules (Hardcover)

Lots of people love In-N-Out hamburgers, and Stacy Perman would tell its history. Although well written with a fine job of documenting the company after Harry Snyder's sons, Rich and Guy, took over, it omits the story of the risk and drama of its origination and contains errors and omissions.

For example, Perman only alludes to Charles Noddin but, without him, there would be no In-N-Out. She says, "it was just Esther and Harry. The Snyders did everything themselves." Not true. Charlie and Edith Noddin devoted as much time and effort as Esther and Harry. Although Harry, being younger, did more labor. As to the secret sauce, after some minor adjustments, Harry never "spent years perfecting" it.

But the greatest omission is the lack of explaining why the first In-N-Out was built in a place as isolated as Baldwin Park. It was a desperate place to start a business. And the story is untold.

She states that, "in all probability it was the country's first (drive through)". That's not so either. Enterprises evolve and the lunch wagons of the 1890s passed food to carriages driving in the street and to customers on the sidewalk. Surprisingly, about 1898, there was a drive up for carriages.

Harry Snyder did invent the two-way speaker. The reason he installed it was because when two or three cars were lined up, ordering by hand signals and shouting just didn't work; it was not so "motorists could order at one end" and "pick up their food at the other end." Also, the speakers were installed later, about two years when the need arose.

Perman states that Snyder was a savvy businessman who established Snyder Distributing. He actually divided the business into several independent units but it wasn't his idea; it was suggested by a CPA. Her statements about making a burger are not factual either nor that "five-wide tomatoes in a special designed box" were used. He used five by sixes and they were cut thinner in winter when the price escalated. Harry was a frugal man.

Snyder did not own the property of No. 1; it was leased. When the I-10 freeway was built over No. 1, the state offered Harry some surplus property across Garvey Blvd. He happily bought it for a song. Perman says that when Snyder and Noddin broke the partnership, Snyder kept the In-N-Out name. Not true. There were four stores then and each took two, and each had the In-N-Out name. She says that Noddin opened another burger chain in Pasadena but he didn't. Snyder took over the Baldwin Park and Pasadena stores. Noddin took the San Gabriel and Azusa units and did not build any others.

In spite of such errors and omissions, the book provides a fine history of fast food and is well worth reading.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific reading, April 19, 2009

By 

S. Johnson (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules (Hardcover)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has great insight into the Snyder family and the beginnings of In-N-Out. It also includes some simple but outstanding business principles that can be learned from the way Harry and Rich did business. The story has plenty of drama, too. Whether or not you are a fan of their hamburgers, I recommend this book has a great read on family-owned businesses and the story of an entire era of americana.

29 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "QUALITY, CLEANLINESS, AND SERVICE!", April 23, 2009

By 

Rick Shaq Goldstein "*SHAQ*" (Danville, Ca, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules (Hardcover)

This is the life story of Harry and Esther Snyder and their family... and their one of a kind AMERICAN-SUCCESS-STORY IN-N-OUT-BURGER. The reader is taken from the Snyder's humble family beginnings... their falling in love... both their military service... the birth of their children... and their personal doggedness that led from one small fast food burger shop... to the current "cult-classic" chain that numbers over two-hundred locations. And it all started with Harry's mantra... do just one thing and be the best at it... and his entire system was based on three simple words: "QUALITY, CLEANLINESS, AND SERVICE". The author's exhaustive research pays off in spades as this is not only a tale of the amazing growth and success of "IN-N-OUT-BURGER"... but an insider's look... right from the middle of the action in the unparalleled escalation of the fast food culture in the United States from 1948 to the present. The Snyder's were not only right there with the birth of McDonald's, Burger King, Carl's Jr., etc. but In-N-Out beat them at their own game in the local market place that In-N-Out competed with them in. In fact even though they competed in the same area as Carl Karcher the owner of Carl's Jr. ... they were lifelong friends to the day they died.

As the rest of the industry spent every waking moment and dollar on lowering costs... whether through automation... or figuring out how many different ways they can freeze meat and potatoes... Harry refused to worry about lowering costs... he worried about "everything"... and I mean "everything"... being fresh. Only fresh meat... only fresh potatoes that they peeled and cooked themselves... every single day. They made their own buns... and made their own "secret sauce"... and they never spent money on advertising (not until the next generation of Snyder's... and then only minimally.)... because they didn't have to. The unbridled love of a meal from In-N-Out Burger... was passed from customers to their relatives... from relatives... to friends... from friends to mere acquaintances... like sharing a secret treasure. Lines of customers would wrap around the block and cause traffic jams. As they grew Harry got his own butcher to actually prepare the meat that came directly from a farm. Harry took care of the product and Esther handled the bookkeeping. Harry built a reputation with all his suppliers that his word was his bond. He never pressured them for better prices... he just let them know if he needed their help in a crisis they better be there. He inspected every truck of potatoes and meat. One bad potato and the whole truck was sent away. I can personally vouch for the Snyder's integrity that the author writes about, because in the early 1970's I was the sales manager for a computer company in Los Angeles that sold In-N-Out Burger a computer system to handle their burgeoning accounting needs. They were very happy with our system and wrote us a letter of recommendation on their "famous" In-N-Out-Burger letterhead. We put it in a nice frame in the lobby of our Wilshire Blvd. showroom so every potential customer that came to our office for a demonstration could read how we helped automate this unbelievable fast food hamburger company that was literally taking Southern California by storm.

As In-N-Out grew there were always rumors that they were going to sell the company to a conglomerate or go public but that was never the case. They also were only interested in very slow controlled growth. The Snyder's were always very private and kept things close to the vest. After Harry died... the younger son Rich took over and did a tremendous job. Unfortunately Rich died early in a plane crash and the older brother Guy who battled drugs took over and subsequently lost his fight with those demons. Esther's will and trust were changed so only a blood heir could inherit her stock... and there was only one such heir... Guy's young daughter Lynsi Snyder Martinez... who was not yet an adult. Regrettably... an ugly legal battle broke out between the trustees and Lynsi... and a company that kept family business private for over forty-years... was exposed through the media in ways that they had totally avoided through two prior generations.

Just as important as their unique "always-fresh" product is to In-N-Out Burger's storybook success... is the way they always treated their employees like family. In fact Harry and Esther never let anyone call them employees... and they would literally interrupt you in the middle of a sentence and tell you "THEY ARE NOT EMPLOYEES... THEY'RE ASSOCIATES!"

This is an absolutely engrossing story that weaves together an All-American-family... business... fast-food-mania... tragedy and success... and I am glad I dealt with this wonderful family personally... and I'm also glad I read this book... and even though I live in Northern California now... there is an In-N-Out Burger seven-tenths of a mile from my front door.