In-N-Out Burger

Harry’s business acumen had nothing to do with fancy management consultants or popular buzzwords and everything to do with his own core belief: “Keep it real simple,” he said repeatedly. “Do one thing and do it the best you can.” And he stuck to his word.

I think people loved to come to Irwindale for the food. One of the reasons that the track had such a great reputation was basically [that] the snack stands were In-N-Out even though they didn’t say so.”

deciding on when and how to open a new store. Essentially, it came down to three decisive factors: his associates, a location, and the balance sheet.

It is likely that the most important decision that Harry and Esther Snyder made was the loyalty that they built between In-N-Out and its associates.

As exacting a fellow as Harry was, his diligence was balanced by an equal sense of affectionate generosity. From the very beginning,

His maxim, “Do one thing and do it well,” was not only repeated with some frequency—it was strictly adhered to.

He gave his associates a measure of ownership in the enterprise and he remunerated them handsomely for their ability to meet their targets

Harry put a huge emphasis on customer satisfaction

. Snyder stressed quality from the first day he opened for business,” his wife once observed. “No matter what the price, he believed that the customer deserved the best product he could produce.”

Harry was known to be fanatical about quality.