This California business continues to do well

[theking]

In-N-Out’s billionaire heiress says she stood in line for 2 hours to land a job at her own store when she was just a teenager to shake the ‘stigma of being the owner’s kid’ and ‘earn respect’

Lynsi Snyder’s path to ownership of burger chain In-N-Out is scarred by family tragedy—and defined by the 41-year-old’s unwavering determination to ensure she’d earned her place in the business by gaining the respect of her peers.

Snyder took on the top job at the West Coast chain aged 27 in 2010, leading the business founded by her grandparents in 1948. When Snyder's grandfather, Harry Snyder, died in December 1976 the business was led by his sons Rich and Guy.


Rich Snyder—Lynsi's uncle—died in a plane crash in Orange County in 1993, followed by the death of her father in 1999. At the age of 17, Lynsi Snyder was the last blood relative surviving of the burger dynasty.

But the young businesswoman never wanted to be handed any opportunities courtesy of her surname, so she queued up for two hours outside a new In-N-Out restaurant in Redding, Calif. to land a summer job at the chain aged 17.

"I think that there's a stigma that can come with being the owner's kid," Snyder told NBC's Today and Morning News Now in an interview released this week. "I just wanted to be respected like others, doing it the right way and not having the special treatment."

Her first job at In-N-Out saw Snyder doing the minor jobs expected of new staff: slicing onions, preparing tomatoes and separating salad leaves. No one knew Snyder's identity at the store except its manager, the heiress told Orange Coast Magazine in 2014, ensuring she was treated the same by her colleagues as any other teenager.

In 2024 Snyder's net worth stands at $6.7 billion, per Forbes, after she oversaw the opening of the chain's 400th store and launched in three new states: Colorado, Oregon and Texas.

But her family's painful history is never out of mind for the mother of four, she said: "It really was that family pain and tragedy that really put each leader in its place."

In an homage to her family, Snyder also oversaw the construction of a replica of In-N-Out's first ever restaurant in Baldwin Park, California, which opened in 2014.

In the early days of leading the business Snyder struggled to establish her identity within the family-founded behemoth that employs more than 36,000 people.

"In the earlier days I actually wore pantsuits, and I did that because I felt like I was supposed to," Snyder added.

A flick through Snyder's interviews and Instagram illustrate the In-N-Out owner is anything but the suit-wearing board executive who keeps their work and home life separate.

A musician and fan of drag racing, Snyder oversaw the formation of In-N-Out's "company band," a rock group called .48 special. The Snyders—right back to Harry—have always been avid fans of California's car culture and in 2023 began a multi-year partnership with the National Hot Rod Association.

[Visualmon]

What's wrong with these people? Can't they do BBQ in their backyard anymore. 

[Hung_Low]

In-N-Out president went on a publicity tour touting that she's going to fight tooth and nail to not raise prices. However...

The Post investigated and found that BK, In-N-Out & Hart House raised their item prices at certain location in LA after the $20/hr minimum wage was raised. The biggest price increased was at BK where a Texas D-Whopper increased by almost $2 & the Big Fish meal jumped by $4. In-N-Out raised prices only at certain location and not on all of their location.

The Post also found that McD, Wendy's and Chick-Fil-A have not raised their prices so far... but they probably will to offset the cost increase.

Same thing happened in the city I live... A Taco Bell opened up and the parking lot, drive through was filled during the frist 2 week of grand opening... slowly died down afterward. The weird part was that the Taco Bell used to be combined with KFC and didn't do much business there. They split and after 2 years, Taco Bell opened up their own store 2 blocks away.