In-N-Out Burger audiobook

Perman does a great job telling the In N Out story. The privately held company has always kept their business close to the chest. Starting out in Baldwin Park in the San Gabriel Valley next to my wife's home town of Arcadia our love story kind of follows along the lines of In N Out. Expanding our family to the Southwest over time. The book is a great for anyone interested in business. The Snyders were solid entrepreneurs with their "Quality, Cleanliness and Service" mantra. They refused to grow fast, but instead grow smart. The story involves multiple generations changing hands and what it takes to have business continuity in the face of tragedy. Perman tells the story of the family as much as the business, revealing extremely personal details never fully explored in the public before. You can't help but fall in love the matriarch and feel the heart break as the family goes through the tragedies of life. If you love a good Double Double and like to learn from business success, read the book. If you hate meat or old ladies stay away!

A thorough history and account of In-N-Out's history from the early days of Harry and Esther Snyder all in the 1940's all the way to 2006 and Esther's death. I wanted to read this book to understand the hype around In-N-Out. All I can say is its history is fascinating for its rise in the fast food industry to its family owned traditions and always rejecting IPOs. The Snyders always chose quality over quantity in terms of expansion to ensure that all In-N-Outs had Harry's vision of high quality and consistent freshness. Can I say I understand the hype? No I cannot. Do I understand what makes the chain special? Yes I do. Next time I am near one, I'll have a double-double. Enjoy! Also goes through the general history of the rise of fast foods.

Just finished reading the book In-N-Out Burger by Stacy Perlman about the creation of the iconic burger joint. The book has some great stories about the original founders. The husband/wife team Ester and Harry Snyder worked tirelessly and with lots of integrity to create a burger joint focused on "doing one thing an doing it better than anyone else"The book begins when they founded the company in 1950 and the depiction of that time in LA was really interesting to learn about. The automobile was just coming on the scene and fast food restaurants were just starting. LA was a hotbed for them. In-N-Out, McDonald's, Carls Jr, Taco Bell an others all started around the same time in the LA area. Los Angeles at that time was the Silicon Valley of fast food in the 50's There was a hype and boom around it and it was making many food entrepreneurs millionaires.From the beginning In-N-Out wanted to be a place that was family owned and run. Harry and Ester continually turned away offers to sell, expand quickly or even change the scope of the business. Whether it was stubbornness or not, staying small and focused was Harry's belief and it helped shape a truly unique restaurant that has - relative to other burger joints - healthier, better tasting burgers and a friendlier and cleaner environment all at a low price.The book is also very much a out the Synder family - the dad, mom, 2 brothers, and granddaughter. Over 60 years of operation each one of these family members eventually ran the entire company. Harry was the main entrepreneur who built the core. When he died, he gave it to his youngest son who was equally talented and capable and built it up to be most like what it is today. When he died, the oldest son stepped in. He struggled with drug use and 6 years after taking over died from drug complications. After that, Harry's wife, Ester, at age 82 took over again until her granddaughter was able to assume control. The beginning is a great tale of growth and success, the middle is an interesting story of politics and growing pains, and the end is sort of tragic as the youngest Snyder (Lyndsi) is far from the dynamic inspiration of Harry nor nearly as competent.I happy to have read the book and learn about In-N-Out's secret sauce. If Harry, Ester or his son rich were still running the show I would bend I've backwards to eat there. But knowing that the company is now in somewhat incompetent and undeserving hands makes me believe that it's only a matter of time before they chain tries to overexpand, maximize profits and become more of the same rather that a unique place with a special culture. Sure hope that doesn't happen too soonSome interesting facts: * In the 1950's car hops were all the craze. In 1949 Harry built a two-way speaker system that allowed people to order their burger on the way in and pick it up on their way out in a fast, streamlined process. While Wendy's claimed to have invented the drive-thru in 1973, In-N-Out used it right off the bat for over 20 years prior to that * The entire chain lived by Harry's quote: "Keep it simple, do one thing and do it the best you can" * Harry felt he had to own the entire process on how to make beef patties and deliver to stores on daily basis. What you won't see in an In-N-Out are: freezers, infrared lights. or microwaves * There's a secret menu: the term, "animal style" came from the 60's when the surfing community ordered the burgers with special sause. The other customers who wanted the sause started calling it "animal style" as they viewed the surfers as animals. Protein style. Lots think it came with the atlkins craze. But it came in the 70's when the founder (harry) started eating burgers without the bun to try to lose weight. * Harry always paid his employees way over minimum wage. In 1950, min wage was 60 cents and he started everyone at $1 * Harry and Ester didn't want to expand to more stores but their employees wanted more shifts. Harry finally agreed to expand if he could staff an entire store with current employees and pay for it all in cash * Every store opened is completely paid for - there is no debt * LA is the birth place of fast-food and burgers. Right by Baldwin Park in San Bernardino Valley, McDonalds opened it's first store in 1948. Similarly, Carl's Jr started in 1945 and Fatburger in 1952 in LA * Ray Kroc, who is credited for building the McDonald's empire actually approached 4 other chains before the McDonald's founders decided to sell exclusive franchise rights to him. In-N-Out was one of the 4. Harry declined almost immediately. At that time, many people were getting quite rich by starting fast food chains and franchising them. Harry felt lots of pressure to do the same. You can imagine how every one in your industry is doing something one way and you feel like doing the completely opposite. While he could have definitely made more money franchising, he has created a cult and beloved brand by doing the opposite.

I have to admit I grew up in Southern California and did not realize how much a part of my life a simple hamburger chain would be until I spent more of my life out of California than in it.For someone who knows a lot about in-n-out this book filled in a lot of holes and cleared up a lot of the mystery about how it all started and why it has not spread nationwide.I will admit after now living here in Colorado for 3 years and pining away for in-n-out to come to my new home (they have since arrived in Texas) I longed for them to open a location here. After reading this book I'm torn and don't know if I want that any longer. The book details the slow emergence as a wider chain and does a great comparison of the growth of in-n-out compared to the McDonalds and Burger Kings of the world. It also details the relationship between in-n-out, carl's jr., and even sizzler.The book explains the decision making to stay small, expand slow, and do it right. If one should ever open here I will be one of the first in line, however until that day I will remain one of the devoted fans referred to in this book that makes it his first meal when he gets off the plane and the last one before leaving Los Angeles. I loved this book almost as much as a 3x3 animal style with animal style fries and a shake.

An amazingly researched book. Perman not only gives a rich account of the history of In-N-Out, as well as the founders, but she provides context of the time in which In-N-Out was founded. It is almost a history of burger joints and fast food in Southern California.Given that the company did not cooperate with Perman, she did an excellent job finding alternate sources to fill in the gaps - of which there were many due to the Snyder family's disdain for publicity.Esther and Harry Snyder seem to have been an incredible couple that created a successful restaurant chain based on deeply held values. Which made so much of the company's history heartbreaking. I only hope the company manages to maintain the values that make it my favorite burger joint.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a really easy read, maybe because I really want to know about how my family's favorite burger joint came to be. However, I was very surprised how much leadership insight I got from how the founders and their children ran the business. Botton line, they were people of principle.Now about the burgers, I remember my first In-N-Out burger, it was when I turned sixteen, and it was in San Jose, Calif. After that every other burger I've had I compare to In-N-Out. So far none comes close!

OK, I will admit that until I read this book I had never eaten at In-N-Out. But I went and I really enjoyed the food. Especially the fries. Hope the current generation doesn't change anything.

A most fascinating book. A good family with a hard work ethic started it. Two sons, one a daredevil (Guy) and the younger a responsible conservative business-minded person (Rich). Great history of the times when the fast food business in America took off (1950, 60s). I enjoyed the CA history, as well — In particular, the history of Forest Lawn cemetery parks chain, begun by Hubert Eaton. This is where the founder of In N Out, Harry Snyder, is buried. He died in December 1976. Book Includes a black and white picture section.Son Rich Snyder, who became president after his father died, eventually became a Christian. The cups at In N Out have Bible verses on them. Chapter 14 tells about his conversion, around 41%.Footnotes not integrated into the text and begin around 80%A fascinating history of this wildly popular CA hamburger chain and the family who started it. The matriarch outlived her husband and her two children, both sons, leaving a granddaughter as the sole heir to the multi-million dollar company.Overall, a decent family who cared about their community and participated in charitable activities. By all indications, a conservative Christian family who uses Bible verses on their cups and wrappers at the hamburger place. The oldest son’s injury in his 20s started a lifelong addiction to opioids pain meds which he fought all his life and which eventually took his life. The youngest son had most of the control of the company after their founding father died at age 63? Esther, his wife, outlived them all. She died at 84. I think both sons died in their 40s?As soon the company’s two heirs died off, the wealthy company then became a power grab. Esther was still in control but not able physically or mentally to do anything. Then, the lawsuits started and it got pretty sordid. The book ends here, with the sole heir granddaughter Lynsi taking charge of the company. I would like to know how the company stands now, in her hands and if she has remained true to the founder’s vision to not grow the company beyond what quality would allow. Founder Harry Snyder never wanted to have a store beyond easy reach of his fresh (never frozen) burger suppliers. He looked at employees as family and paid more than any of the other fast food places.

In-N-Out's focus on a simple, quality product, delivered by capable and motivated employees has fueled success since 1948. The book documents the industry context over the decades—from the evolution of the highway system, to the Burger Wars, to the rise of fast-casual—demonstrating how In-N-Out positioned itself for success, and did not shift in response to new trends or fads, even as family tragedy altered succession plans. Like the gas-station convenience store chain Quik-Trip, In-N-Out's pursuit of growth was never driven by a vision of market saturation or profit maximization, but in order to create career growth opportunities for its loyal associates. Unlike other fast-food chains who rapidly expanded their footprint, In-N-Out used its management bench as a key metric in its expansion plans. As Rich Snyder said, "If you lose your workers, you lose your customers. I don't know how others do it, but we just try to keep everybody happy that works for us." In-N-Out's commitment to its employees demonstrates that it is possible to offer good restaurant jobs, without sacrificing price or quality. The book is heavy with details, many of which are not necessarily the most interesting or poignant. Chapter 12 has the richest information on their internal training and development systems, but much of the rest of the book covers the family, their lifestyle, and the context of the time.

Can In-N-Out Meet the Five Guys Challenge?Perman provides a solid history of my favorite burger, but she needs to revise and expand her book. Writing about In-N-Out is no easy task given how secretive the family-owned company has been. Still, Perman could tighten her text and provide graphs that illustrate the chain's meteoric rise. The company has continued to expand despite the tragedies that befell the second generation as well as the court case that exposed the short-comings of the third.In-N-Out is being challenged like never before. Five Guys (Perman misidentifies as being from New York) was just starting to expand when "Behind the Counter" was being published. The Los Angeles times recently released a french fry ranking that awarded first place to Five Guys. In-N-Out finished last. This could be a problem when you only have two foods on your menu!

Very interesting to see behind the scenes. My dad introduced me to In-N-Out and he was a fanatic about them, and they are amazingly good! To hear about the backstory and how they have managed to remain a private non-franchised fast food company and still compete at such a a high level with the “big players” is unbelievable. Not to mention the relationships they have with other chains that saw them as complimentary rather than competitors is truly unique. This book get into the “weeds” but the information gives so much context and window into what makes In-N-Out the brand it is today.

While I was recommended this book for management and leadership advice, I genuinely enjoyed reading this book! While the timeline is all over the place and Perman's writing seems partially biased, I learned quite a bit about In-N-Out and why their system is so effective. Though I have yet to have a Double-Double or anything else from the menu (never been far enough West!), I'm eager to someday try it and see what all the hype is about!If you're in management or leadership in any capacity, this is a super helpful read!

This book does a good job telling the history and story of In-N-Out Burger. Living on the East Coast, I have only had their burgers a few times but I have enjoyed them. I could identify with the stories of people who make a point to have their food when they live outside their service footprint. I also enjoyed learning about the family and their values that made the company great. What kept me from giving it five stars is that at times the author seemed to go on loosely related tangents, though these were generally brief.

I visit In-N-Out every time I visit Las Vegas. When I saw there was a book I had to read it. It was enjoyable for the most part there were a few times that it just seemed to repeat the same sentence over again to worded differently. The author also seemed to be slightly bias against McDonald's but its understandable because she is writing about the iconic burger restaurant that seems to spread magic even though it hasn't changed it ways.