In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules – A New York Times Bestseller About California's Family Business Titan

Having spent much of my professional career in the food business, I always enjoy reading documentaries about the food and restaurant companies. This book didn't disappoint. My only complaint about the book was that in the 2nd half of the book, it dwelled a little too much on the in-fighting amongst the family members. Other than that, I found the book very engaging and informative about one of the most iconic brands in the American restaurant industry.

Stacy Perman's informative book IN-N-OUT-BURGER is an inside look at the rise and RISE of my beloved In-N-Out Burger. Through Perman's no-nonsense prose, we are taken back to the late 40's...Post World War II America is prospering, and a young man named Harry Snyder meets a restaurant manager named Esther Johnson, falls in love, and soon opens a modest hamburger stand in Baldwin Park, California in 1948. Through hard work, and a fierce determination to serve quality food at low prices...Harry & Esther's small business quickly caught on, and soon the business was drawing large crowds, and large traffic jams. Harry Snyder called his business "In-N-Out-Burger" in reference to his business accomodating the booming car culture that emerged after World War II...In order to speed up the orderning process (& to save money on the cost of waiters and waitresses) Snyder invented a two-way speaker box so that customers can give their orders while waiting in their cars...essentially creating the modern drive-thru experience we have today. Unlike virtually every other fast food business in the U.S....Harry and Esther Snyder operated their business as a way to make a living...NOT as a way to get rich. Expansion was only out of necessity...after long lines and traffic jams called out the need for other stores to ease the congestion...Harry was a practical man...and only opening up another In-N-Out Burger if he had the money to build the store, and purchase the land under it. He never borrowed on credit...it was always paid in cash. By the time Harry Snyder died in 1976...In-N-Out Burger had about 18 stores in the Southern California area. Despite many offers to expand further, and franchise...Harry and Esther Snyder insisted on keeping it a small, family-run business. Instead of cutting corners and costs in order to make more of a profit...the Snyders did the opposite... paying extra money to not only have high quality food (with everything fresh and made to order)...but also to pay their employees a higher wage than anybody else. To the Snyders...the workers at their In-N-Out Burger stores were the stars...and should be treated accordingly. There were no employees at In-N-Out Burger...everyone was an "associate"...never an employee. Customers were always VIPs...and were always right Farmers, and food merchants were treated like gold...In this simple yet radical mode of operation...everyone was happy...and with everyone happy...business always stayed strong. While every fast food restaurant in the country added and changed their menus in order to increase and expand business...In-N-Out-Burger stayed exactly the same...sticking with Harry Snyder's motto "Keep it simple; do one thing, and do it the best you can." After Harry Snyder died, his youngest son Richard took over the business. Under Richard Snyder...In-N-Out Burger expanded to all parts of California, and extended into Nevada, Arizona, and eventually Utah. He also took In-N-Out Burger out of just being a simple, walk-up, drive-thru experience and turned into walk-up, drive-thru AND indoor restaurant experience. A deeply religious man, it was Richard Snyder who implemented a policy of having religious references to the Bible located on the bottom of various In-N-Out Burger cups and paper...a practice they continue to use to this day. Yet even in their broad expansion...Richard insisted on keeping In-N-Out Burger exactly the way his father left it...family-owned, with all of the food fresh and maade to order. Sadly, by the time In-N-Out Burger hit 200 stores...Richard Snyder (and other In-N-Out Burger executives) were killed in a plane crash in 1993. Harry & Esther's oldest son, Guy, choose a different path than his younger brother Richard. For Guy Snyder...life was about fast cars, racing, and lots of drugs. Throughout his life, he fought constantly with his younger brother Richard. After Richard's death...Guy took over the company, slowed down expansion, yet kept the same core business values of his father and brother. Unfortunately, Guy Snyder's life of struggle and excess got the better of him, and he died of a drug overdose in 1999...leaving behind two ex-wives, his mother, and a daughter. Esther Snyder did her best to run In-N-Out Burger for a number of years...though her health soon began to fail, and she passed away in 2006, at age 86. A power-struggle within the company was brewing during Esther's final years...and in a controversial move...Guy Snyder's ambitiuous ex-(step)son-in-law was named President of In-N-Out Burger upon Esther's death...with Guy's estranged daughter, Lynsi Martinez waiting in the wings to come of age...and take over full ownership of the company... All in all, I enjoyed reading IN-N-OUT-BURGER. Considering how private the company is, Stacy Perman did an excellent job in getting as much information as she could about the inner-workings and history of In-N-Out Burger. Though I am not sure how much I liked Perman's writing in general..there was something lacking in it...an absence of style, or zest perhaps? Another thing that annoyed me was Perman's tendency to pad her book a bit with repetition, and (what felt like) non-pertinent information...That said, I am thankful that ANYONE took the time to write a book like this...and got a huge kick out of learning more about the place(s) I love...my home away from home...In-N-Out Burger.

As a former university professor in English, I enjoyed using texts on modern social issues, especially those on the structure and practices of American businesses, so I often used Eric Schlosser's _Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal_ and Barbara Ehrenreich's _Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America_. I was happily pleased to find, finally, an exposé of sorts had finally been written on my favorite fast-food restaurant, In-N-Out, so I need to share my delight in Stacy Perman's _In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules_. Perman takes a balanced but enthusiastic narrative tone as she lays out the history of In-N-Out from its 1948 inception to the opening of store 215 in 2008, and, due to her adopting the role as story teller rather than history lecturer, Perman gives readers a winding, informative text, full of details of entities one would not immediately connect to In-N-Out but had enormous bearing on its story and success. For example, Perman presents a fascinating discussion on the California city of Baldwin Park, where the Snyders began their restaurant empire; frankly, as someone who works in Baldwin Park, I was surprised at its rich history and have a newfound appreciation of the area, even if today it is not the landscape of hope and dreams it once was. Perman acquaints readers with notable figures in fast-food history, such as Carl Karcher and Ray Kroc, and she includes many details on the fast-food industry in general, without losing focus on her subject. I learned a lot more than I expected from this text. As the teller of a tale, Perman does not forget that which is tantamount to successfully endearing the reader to the narrative, the human element and drama, and there is plenty of it in the annals of In-N-Out. I was impressed by Harry Snyder's mantra of "Do one thing, and do it the best you can," illuminated by his and Esther's many successes, but I was captivated by the Snyders' simplicity and humility. As Perman chronicles the lives of Rich and Guy Snyder, it would be a hard-hearted reader who does not empathize with the struggle and tragedy of these characters or sympathize with the strain and anguish it placed on the rest of the family, blood- or business relations. Perman, through richness in detail and her ability to connect these details, makes all her characters human and real, for that is what they all were. Finally, I was impressed with Perman's overall presentation; despite one's ability to spin a yarn, it is all a mess without that literary ability to turn a phrase and put words to paper. Perman's prose is clear, well-written, and academic. It is writing worthy of _Harper's Magazine_, with intelligent phrasing, professional editing, and an even tone, something that without question should be used to demonstrate to budding writers how excellence in writing is achieved. Perman supports her facts with numerous sources, which made me appreciate her efforts as a journalist even more, as In-N-Out is a secretive, tight-lipped organization, leaving Perman to gather her information without the assistance or endorsement of the iconic restaurant. Yes, you should be impressed. I highly recommend Perman's balanced effort in culinary literature to all those with a thirst for knowledge, In-N-Out devotee or otherwise, and would gladly lift a Grilled Cheese Animal Style in her honor.

My brother is obsessed with in-n-out so he loved this book which I gave as part of his birthday present. Its really informative and interesting

A very complete book about the story of this wonderful fast food chain filled with good informations and things you may not know

It's a pretty interesting book - anyone interested in the food business is likely to enjoy it very much. Might have been even better with the inclusion of more insights, more anecdotes from In-n-Out owners and their competitors, but it's still quite good nevertheless. Highly recommended 😊👍

If you are a fan of "In n Out" you have to read this well written and researched book. A very good success story that comes from good management and sticking to your values.

An interesting read but a bit excessive on detail in some parts.