Harry Snyder

This article is about the founder of In-N-Out Burger. For the scientist, see Harry Snyder (scientist). For the Wisconsin politician and judge, see Harry G. Snyder.

Harry Snyder
Born	September 9, 1913 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Died	December 14, 1976(1976-12-14) (aged 63) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Nationality	Canadian
Known for	Co-founding In-N-Out Burger
Spouse	Esther Snyder
Children	Guy Snyder Rich Snyder

Harry Snyder (September 9, 1913 – December 14, 1976) was a Canadian businessman. He co-founded In-N-Out Burger along with his wife Esther Snyder. Snyder was one of the first people to develop the idea of a drive-through hamburger restaurant, where customers could order their food via an intercom.

Biography

Born in Vancouver, Snyder grew up in Seattle and Santa Monica. He would work odd jobs to support his family. During World War II, he worked several desk jobs for the U.S. Navy due to his perforated ear drum. After the war ended, he worked as a caterer in Fort Lawton where he met his wife Esther Johnson.

Snyder and his wife opened the first In-N-Out Burger on October 22, 1948, in the Los Angeles suburb of Baldwin Park, California. In-N-Out is described as California's first drive-through. By the mid-1950s, the chain had expanded to six stores in the Los Angeles area. By the time of Snyder's death in 1976 from lung cancer, the company had expanded to 18 stores.

External links

• Harry Snyder at Find a Grave

Further reading

• Perman, Stacy (2009). In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 978-0-06-134671-2.