Why In-N-Out has barely changed its business for 75 years — not even its fries

LOS ANGELES — The year was 1948. World War II was in the rearview mirror and in Los Angeles, drive-in restaurants were in full swing.

Those food stands that first began sprouting up more than a decade earlier had evolved. In a city where the number of drive-ins was said to equal the number of cars, they were destinations with bright neon signs, whimsical architecture, expansive parking lots and costumed carhops — serving patrons using specially made trays attached to their car windows.

But when Harry and Esther Snyder opened the first In-N-Out Burger, they had just a spit of land on Francisquito and Garvey avenues in Baldwin Park. They had even less money to build a burger palace. But over time, burger by burger, they changed history.

This month marks In-N-Out Burger's 75th anniversary. Though its first customers were locals drawn from its sleepy Los Angeles suburb, for generations In-N-Out has captivated everyone from movie