In-N-Out Burger CEO Lynsi Snyder recently credited her “servant leadership” approach to the business as the key to the fast-food chain’s success. The heiress to the fortune still considers her employees “family,” despite hardships.
In-N-Out Burger Heiress Lynsi Snyder Says She’s a ‘Servant Leader’
In a recent interview with Fortune, In-N-Out heiress and CEO Lynsi Snyder discussed the concept of “servant leadership.”
“I like that because I love all of them [her employees] very much, and I’d love to think that I have pieces of all of them,” she said, adding that her tenure at the company is based on “servant leadership for all of our people.”
According to the Greenleaf Center, servant leadership is rooted in a focus on the growth and well-being of the people — in other words, putting the needs of the employees over the wants of the executives.
And this approach, Snyder said, is one that she inherited from her family, all of whom held leadership positions at In-N-Out Burger throughout the years. “My uncle was super charismatic — out of the three of them, he was the most charismatic, empowering leader. My grandpa was stern, he was passionate … he was a very hard worker, he was probably the one that got his hands dirtiest. He built it up,” she explained.
She continued: “My dad was very much the humble leader that wanted everyone to feel like they mattered, whether they were in the store or whether they were in the warehouse, they all mattered. He had a huge heart for the people that maybe didn’t get as much attention as the underdogs — and he was also a stickler for quality so he matched his dad with [that].”
However, her grandmother, who co-founded In-N-Out Burger with her husband, Lynsi’s grandfather, had the nurturing edge. “My grandmother was the nurturer; she was very sweet and loving, and she cared about everyone. She was the one that brought the hugs and [remembered] their kids names and all of that,” she said.
Free Burgers for Fresno Readers
Snyder’s approach to leadership has helped In-N-Out Burger become one of the most popular fast-food joints in the country. Another thing, however, that has made it so popular is its periodic giveaways, such as offering free burgers for Fresno County-based readers.
The Fresno County Public Library is giving away free In-N-Out hamburgers to kids who enjoy reading. According to the library, every child aged 4 to 12 who reads five books or 300 minutes will get a free cheeseburger or hamburger from In-N-Out.
The In-N-Out Burger reading initiative will run until April 12. The following libraries are taking part in the initiative:
- Auberry
- Bear Mountain
- Betty Rodriguez
- Big Creek
- Biola
- Caruthers
- Central
- Clovis
- Easton
- Fig Garden
- Firebaugh
- Fowler
- Gillis
- Kerman
- Kingsburg
- Laton
- Leo Politi
- Mendota
- Mosqueda
- Orange Cove
- Parlier
- Pinedale
- Reedley
- Riverdale
- San Joaquin
- Shaver Lake
- Sunnyside
- Teague
- Tranquillity
- West Fresno
- Woodward Park
To be eligible for the offer, enthusiastic readers must register at their closest location and complete a reading log.
Also, according to a recent survey, the well-known fast-food company has some of the happiest workers in the country.
Statista released the 10th edition of America’s Best Large Employers list. According to Forbes, this year’s ranking includes 701 businesses with over 5,000 workers.
Survey results from thousands of workers nationwide served as the basis for the rankings. Respondents to the survey provided information about their workplace and assigned ratings based on factors such as compensation, work environment, and past employers. Additionally, they were asked if they would recommend employers they knew from their work experience or family members who worked there.
At No. 8, In-N-Out Burger did better than companies like NASA, Apple, Salesforce, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
