Harry and Esther Snyder opened California’s first drive-thru hamburger stand in October 1948. The stand was barely 10 square feet and was located at Francisquito and Garvey in Baldwin Park. Every morning before dawn Harry would visit the local meat and produce markets for fresh ingredients.

Harry Snyder had a vision of enabling guests to order food without having to leave their cars. In-N-Out is credited as the first chain to use a two-way speaker system for drive-thru ordering.

The In-N-Out sign hasn’t always had that iconic yellow arrow. The first sign featuring the “No Delay” was replaced with the large yellow arrow version in 1954. With the new sign they adopted the sayings, “The arrow points to pride” and “We all work under the same arrow.”

In-N-Out hasn’t always served fountain sodas on the menu. In 1958, the company added the soda fountain, replacing bottles. At the time, a 12-ounce soda without a lid was a whole 10 cents. People had the choice of Orange, 7UP, Nehi Strawberry, Nehi Cream Soda, Root Beer, Pepsi, Coke and Delaware Punch.

In 1961, the first “Animal Style” burger was created all in response to a customer request.

The company and family has a long connection with drag racing. Harry Snyder owned a 50 percent stake in Irwindale Raceway, which also happened to sell In-N-Out burgers in the concession stands. Snyder’s only grandchild, Lynsi, has competed in the Super Gas and Top Sportsman Division 7 categories.

‘X’ marks the spot! Snyder introduced crossed palm trees in front of most stores in 1972. He got the idea from the 1963 movie ‘It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,’ where characters hunted for treasure beneath four crossed palms.

In-N-Out has its own burger school known as “In-N-Out University.” In 1984, Rich Snyder opened the University on the site where the Snyders’ home stood in 1948.

In-N-Out is located in a few counties in six different states. Each store has to be within 600 miles of a distribution center where the burger patties are made. Nothing is ever frozen or microwaved.

The average In-N-Out associate makes around $11.57/hr and store managers can make six figures.

In-N-Out’s simple menu hasn’t changed much and they don’t have plans to anytime soon. The most recent change is the addition of sweet tea to some new Texas locations. One other major change in the past two decades was the addition of Dr. Pepper in 1996.

In November 1994, the 100th store was opened in Gilory, California. At the time California and Nevada remained the only states with In-N-Out locations. In 2015, the company opened its 304th store located in Medford, Oregon.

In-N-Out has been a family business since day one. Harry and Esther had their two sons, Guy and Rich, do entry-level work to keep them from becoming spoiled. Guy’s daughter, Lynsi, is said to potentially be America’s youngest female billionaire. Lynsi is currently the president and owner of the company, but she doesn’t get full control of the company’s trusts until she is 35.