Page 52 - Forbes Magazine-October 31, 2018

FORBES LYNSI SNYDER IN-N-OUT BURGER

BATTLE OF THE BURGERS
“I really wanted to make sure that we stayed true to what no, California. On
we started with. That required me to become a protector. A the way home, the
guardian.” ten-passenger plane
crashed, leaving no
IN 1948, HARRY AND ESTHER SNYDER, Lynsi’s grandparents, survivors. After his
opened the first In-N-Out, in Baldwin Park. It had no indoor death, Esther be-
seating, so Harry installed a two-way speaker box connect- came president, and
ed to the kitchen, creating an early drive-thru window. As Guy, who had sep-
Americans flooded the new U.S. highway system, In-N-Out, BURGER KING arated from Lynsi’s
which was placing its restaurants alongside the new roads, Whopper mother earlier that
took off. In southern California, In-N-Outs became a hang- year, took over as ex-
A quarter-pound of “savory
flame-grilled beef.” ecutive vice presi-
dent and chairman.
“IT’S NOT ABOUT ADDING $4.49 660 CALORIES During Guy’s six
INTRODUCED: 1957
years as chairman,
NEW PRODUCTS. OR THINKING 221,184 In-N-Out grew to
OF THE NEXT BACON-WRAPPED 140 stores, with over
Possible ways to order a
THIS OR THAT,” SAYS SNYDER. Whopper and trimmings. $200 million in rev-
enue. Yet he strug-
“WE’RE REALLY PICKY AND Limited-time offers have gled personally. On
included the A.1 Halloween
STRATEGIC. WE’RE NOT GOING Whopper (with a black Christmas Day 1995
he was arrested for
TO COMPROMISE.” bun) and the Angriest public intoxication
Whopper (with a hot-
sauce-infused red bun). and illegally carry-
out for hot rod racers. From the early days, Harry and Es- ing a loaded firearm,
ther were keen to keep as many aspects of the business in- which he had along
house as they could. They butchered their own meat, started with a switchblade
a wholesaling firm to stock up on paper supplies and used knife and marijuana. Over the next few years he survived a
their own construction crew to build new stores. drug-related heart attack and three drug overdoses before
In-N-Out grew gradually, reaching 18 locations, all in dying of heart failure (with hydrocodone in his system) in
California, by the time Harry died in 1976. His younger son, December 1999, at age 48.
Rich, took his spot; “When he was sober, he was the best dad in the world.
the elder son, Guy, BATTLE OF THE BURGERS We had our time cut short,” says Lynsi, who has a scroll with
Lynsi’s father, had the words “Daddy’s Girl” tattooed on her right shoulder.
been passed over. Before her father died, Lynsi had worked for a few
He had an ongoing months at an In-N-Out in Redding, California, separat-
problem with opi- ing leaves of lettuce and working the register. Soon after,
oids after a motorcy- the 18-year-old married and moved close to the company’s
cle accident left him headquarters in Baldwin Park to take a job at In-N-Out’s
with chronic pain. corporate merchandising department, approving projects
He spent his days like T-shirt designs. Lynsi fell into a year-long stretch of al-
away from the com- cohol and marijuana use, and she and her husband divorced
MCDONALD’S
pany, drag racing after a few years. A second short-lived marriage followed.
or on his 115-acre Big Mac “It was like a black-sheep era of my life,” she says. “By the
ranch in the Sierra “Mouthwatering perfection.” time I hit 22, it was pretty much over.”
Nevada Mountains, INTRODUCED: 1967 Lynsi rotated through departments at In-N-Out to learn
where Lynsi grew up. $4.44 560 CALORIES the business. As Lynsi educated herself on how it worked,
In December Esther, then in her 80s, ran day-to-day operations. Then Es-
1993, Rich flew to 1.3 billion ther died too, in 2006.
see his niece Lynsi Number sold in 2017 Mark Taylor, a longtime In-N-Out executive (who is also
around the globe.
in a play at a private Lynsi’s brother-in-law), became company president, turning
Christian school and Wisconsinite Donald over the role to Lynsi in 2010. At age 27, Lynsi was running
then continued on Gorske holds the In-N-Out, which was generating an estimated $550 million
to the opening of world’s record for eating in sales at 251 locations.
store No. 93 in Fres- the most Big Macs—nearly Her third marriage came soon after, this time to a race car
30,000.

78 | FORBES OCTOBER 31, 2018