tosomething of a troubled start. In 1948, most customers were bewildered by the invention that in time became as standard and familiar as fast food itself. The Snyders had to show customers how to use the drive-through; they even enlisted their young sons to help.
Astonishingly, Harry Snyder and In-N-Out have received scant recognition for coming up with what is essentially the formula for todayâs drive-through system. Certainly, others have come forward to claim credit. Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendyâs, boasted that he invented âthe first modern day, drive-through window,â when he rolled out his second Wendyâs location in Columbus, Ohioâbut that was in 1971, a good twenty-three years after Snyderâs invention. Even McDonaldâs first drive-through window didnât appear until 1975, when it opened its initial model in Sierra Vista, Arizona, near the Fort Huachuca military base. In 1951, Jack in the Box introduced its own intercom âfood machineâ in San Diego. Back in 1931, the Pig Stand had devised a kind of primitive drive-through where motorists drove in and placed their order with a young male order taker and then exitedâbut their system relied upon an entirely human ordering and delivery process.
A clutch of what were called âdrive-up windowsâ didnât really appear on the scene with any kind of critical mass until the mid-1950s. Soon resourceful drive-in owners began deploying a host of electronic ordering devices that promised both novelty and speed. However, they were hardly streamlined or elegant, and were made with such items as vacuum tubes, bulky switches, and carbon microphones. In many cases, carhops were still used to deliver the food. One of the best-known of the time was Sonic Americaâs Drive-in. In 1954, the Stillwater, Oklahoma, shop introduced its own electronic ordering service, billed as âService with the Speed of Sound!â Motorists pulled up to a row of parking positions and ordered their food through a handheld line connected to Sonicâs kitchen.
Soon, a host of electronic ordering devices with names like Aut-O-Hop, Dine-A-Mike, and Teletray came onto the market. Despite their proliferation, they did not come into play until several years after Snyder pioneered In-N-Out Burgerâs own two-way speakerphone.As Esther Snyder once proudly told the Los Angeles Times , In-N-Out was known as âthe granddaddy of the drive-throughs.â
At the very least, Snyderâs stamp on the car and fast-food cultures certainly popularized the device and served as a prototype for all other fast-food establishments. And while In-N-Out modestly bills itself as âCaliforniaâs first drive-through,â in all probability it was the countryâs first as well. In-N-Outâs âgranddaddyâ gave rise to an entire world of drive-through banks, liquor stores, pharmacies, restaurants, dry cleaners, and even drive-through wedding chapels. In fact, the drive-through became so pervasive that decades later, in the 1990s, car manufacturers began to outfit front seats with cup holders to facilitate dashboard dining. Fast-food restaurants created meals tailor-made for one-handed steering and one-handed eating free from spills and dripping. More than a half century after Harry Snyder premiered his invention, the fast-food industry spawned a host of high tech gadgets all founded on the same premise as that first two-way speakerphone. However, according to government records, Harry Snyder never took out a patent on his invention.
Â
At the start of In-N-Out Burger, it was just Esther and Harry. The Snyders did everything themselves. They prepared the hamburger patties (using an ice cream scooper to mold them and then their own palms to flatten them), peeled the potatoes, sliced the onions and tomatoes, and stirred up the secret sauce (that Harry concocted and would spend years perfecting). Harry ran the gas grill;
Astonishingly, Harry Snyder and In-N-Out have received scant recognition for coming up with what is essentially the formula for todayâs drive-through system. Certainly, others have come forward to claim credit. Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendyâs, boasted that he invented âthe first modern day, drive-through window,â when he rolled out his second Wendyâs location in Columbus, Ohioâbut that was in 1971, a good twenty-three years after Snyderâs invention. Even McDonaldâs first drive-through window didnât appear until 1975, when it opened its initial model in Sierra Vista, Arizona, near the Fort Huachuca military base. In 1951, Jack in the Box introduced its own intercom âfood machineâ in San Diego. Back in 1931, the Pig Stand had devised a kind of primitive drive-through where motorists drove in and placed their order with a young male order taker and then exitedâbut their system relied upon an entirely human ordering and delivery process.
A clutch of what were called âdrive-up windowsâ didnât really appear on the scene with any kind of critical mass until the mid-1950s. Soon resourceful drive-in owners began deploying a host of electronic ordering devices that promised both novelty and speed. However, they were hardly streamlined or elegant, and were made with such items as vacuum tubes, bulky switches, and carbon microphones. In many cases, carhops were still used to deliver the food. One of the best-known of the time was Sonic Americaâs Drive-in. In 1954, the Stillwater, Oklahoma, shop introduced its own electronic ordering service, billed as âService with the Speed of Sound!â Motorists pulled up to a row of parking positions and ordered their food through a handheld line connected to Sonicâs kitchen.
Soon, a host of electronic ordering devices with names like Aut-O-Hop, Dine-A-Mike, and Teletray came onto the market. Despite their proliferation, they did not come into play until several years after Snyder pioneered In-N-Out Burgerâs own two-way speakerphone.As Esther Snyder once proudly told the Los Angeles Times , In-N-Out was known as âthe granddaddy of the drive-throughs.â
At the very least, Snyderâs stamp on the car and fast-food cultures certainly popularized the device and served as a prototype for all other fast-food establishments. And while In-N-Out modestly bills itself as âCaliforniaâs first drive-through,â in all probability it was the countryâs first as well. In-N-Outâs âgranddaddyâ gave rise to an entire world of drive-through banks, liquor stores, pharmacies, restaurants, dry cleaners, and even drive-through wedding chapels. In fact, the drive-through became so pervasive that decades later, in the 1990s, car manufacturers began to outfit front seats with cup holders to facilitate dashboard dining. Fast-food restaurants created meals tailor-made for one-handed steering and one-handed eating free from spills and dripping. More than a half century after Harry Snyder premiered his invention, the fast-food industry spawned a host of high tech gadgets all founded on the same premise as that first two-way speakerphone. However, according to government records, Harry Snyder never took out a patent on his invention.
Â
At the start of In-N-Out Burger, it was just Esther and Harry. The Snyders did everything themselves. They prepared the hamburger patties (using an ice cream scooper to mold them and then their own palms to flatten them), peeled the potatoes, sliced the onions and tomatoes, and stirred up the secret sauce (that Harry concocted and would spend years perfecting). Harry ran the gas grill;
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