The owner and president of In-N-Out Burger revealed in a rare interview why the company prints Bible verses on its packaging and how that ties into her own personal Christian faith.
Lynsi Snyder, the 37-year-old CEO and granddaughter of the chain’s founders, revealed to The Christian Post she turned to God after she lost her father as a teenager and later went through three failed marriages that sent her down a dark path.
“I finally found that the deep need in my heart can only be filled by Jesus and my identity in Him,” she said.
She’s taken this realization and carried it with her throughout all aspects of her life, including the way she runs her company. “My grandparents set the bar high and I only try to raise it,” she said, noting that she strives to “maintain what we’ve started with: not compromising the quality of product, service, or standards.”
One way she continues to carry on the family legacy is by expanding the number of Bible verses printed on the packaging.
The concept was first started by her uncle Richard in 1987. The born-again Christian and son of the founders said it was “just something I want to do,” company spokesman Carl Van Fleet told USA Today in 2005.
“It was my uncle Rich who put the Bible verses on the cups and wrappers in the early ‘90s, just before he passed away,” Snyder told The Christian Post. “He had just accepted the Lord and wanted to put that little touch of his faith on our brand.”
The verses are all subtle, placed discreetly on various cups and wrappers, merely depicting the verse’s book and number. They started out in four places, according to Priceonomics.
On the soda cup is John 3:16, which reads, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The milkshake cup has Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
Hamburger and cheeseburger wrappers have Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
The famous Double-Double’s have Nahum 1:7 printed on the wrapper, which reads, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.”
Snyder has since added additional verses to other products, including Proverbs 24:16 (“… the wicked shall fall into mischief”) and Luke 6:35 (“But love ye your enemies, and do good”), carrying on her uncle’s legacy.
“In later years, I added verses to the fry boat, coffee and hot cocoa cups,” she said.
“It’s a family business and will always be, and that’s a family touch.”