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Usually ships in 1 business days | | Only 1 left in stock, order soon! | | | | | | 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. | | | |
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| | Product Details | | Author: | Stacy Perman | | Hardcover: | 352 pages | | Publisher: | HarperBusiness | | Publication Date: | April 14, 2009 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 0061346713 | | Product Length: | 8.5 inches | | Product Width: | 5.62 inches | | Product Height: | 1.18 inches | | Product Weight: | 0.97 pounds | | Package Length: | 8.4 inches | | Package Width: | 5.5 inches | | Package Height: | 1.2 inches | | Package Weight: | 1.0 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 54 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 54 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 36 found the following review helpful:
 In-N-Out History - It's Not all Here May 28, 2009
By Thomas Evans
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 found the following review helpful:
 Terrific reading Apr 19, 2009
By S. Johnson
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 found the following review helpful:
RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "QUALITY, CLEANLINESS, AND SERVICE!" Apr 23, 2009
By Rick Shaq Goldstein
"*SHAQ*"
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.
11 of 12 found the following review helpful:
Fantastic Apr 24, 2009
By Rafi Mohammed
"Avid Business Book Reader"
You don't have to be an In-N-Out devotee to enjoy this meticulously researched and well-written book.
Stacy Perman writes a compelling story of entrepreneurship, an unwavering focus to be the best, success, tragedy, and the struggles of passing a family business to new generations.
By the end of her book, you too will have a hankering to drive (or fly) to the closest In-N-Out restaurant. There, along with a diverse socioeconomic customer base that includes celebrities such as Sammy Hagar and Tom Hanks, as well as acclaimed chefs like Gordon Ramsey (the late Julia Child was also a fan), you'll enjoy one of the best hamburgers on this planet.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 Good Story - Not a Business Book Feb 28, 2010
By M. Becker
As an avid reader of books on business strategy, business organization, leadership, finance, etc, I was more than a little disappointed. This book lacks the substance needed to put it into the informal "business book" category. It is a good story, and entertaining to read, but you will not learn from it, feel inspired by it, or gain any more information about how the company is run than you had before you began reading the book. There are pages and pages of flowery descriptions where the book sounds more like an advertisement for the food they serve than anything else. There is more than enough information on the details of the people's personal lives involved in the company, but very little about the operations of the company. I do love to eat at In-N- Out, and it was interesting to read about the people who started the company and learn some of their history. The business information in the book, however, could have been summed up in a short magazine article.
See all 54 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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