Thank You, Esther Snyder...

... for helping bring In-N-Out Burger into the world. Snyder died over the weekend, and we've been meaning to give her a shout-out since then. In-N-Out Burger is the very first place my parents hit whenever they come to town; I believe my dad would eat every meal there if given a choice.

Given the recent power struggles inside the secretive family-owned company, it's not clear what Snyder's death means for the burger joint -- generally considered by fans to be the best fast food operation in the country. Both of Snyder's sons died tragically while running the business; upon her son Guy's death, Esther took over again as top exec. Snyder's granddaughter inherits the business when she turns 35; until then the business will operate mostly as usual.

From Snyder's obit:

In 1948, the newly married Snyders moved to Southern California and opened their first In-N-Out stand in Baldwin Park, across the street from the house on Francisquito Avenue where Harry Snyder had grown up. Their sales and food service experience was minimal, but on their first night of business they sold 47 burgers, according the company's website.

Post-World War II hamburger shops typically featured carhops serving customers in their vehicles, and McDonald's and Carl's Jr. added walk-up windows.

But Harry Snyder had a different idea for his tiny shop, which had no seating and little parking space. Capitalizing on the emerging twin cultures of cars and fast food, he introduced a two-way speaker through which drivers could order food and then have it handed to them without leaving their vehicles.

Many credit the Snyders with introducing California's first drive-through restaurant. At the very least, the Snyders made the innovation so popular and practical that other fast-food establishments soon followed their lead.

For more than half a century, the chain has stuck to its basic menu of cooked-to-order hamburgers made with 100% beef, hand-torn lettuce and slow-rising, freshly baked buns; French fries made from California-grown Kennebec potatoes, hand-cut and fried in cholesterol-free vegetable oil; and milkshakes made with real ice cream. There are no kids' meals, no breakfast items, no chicken strips or nuggets, no salad bars and no franchises — the restaurants are all owned by the company. And the stores are still open until 1 a.m. or later.

"Everything was going to be fresh," Esther Snyder said in an interview in 2000. "Harry would go to where he bought the meat, and he'd watch them cut it up and be sure he got what he ordered. He would go around at night and check on stores."

Thanks, Esther Snyder, for showing us what a hamburger's all about.