We Can't Believe How Small The Original In-N-Out Burger Restaurant Was

When Harry and Esther Snyder opened up the very first In-N-Out in 1948, they started small. Harry handled grocery shopping and cooking on-site, while Esther managed the accounting at home. But it wasn't just the operation that was tiny; what would one day become a fast food giant started as a single hamburger stand no bigger than 100 square feet.

The first In-N-Out was just around the corner from the Snyder's home in Baldwin Park, California, and it was in that home's garage that Harry tinkered his way to the invention of the modern drive-thru by building a two-way speaker box. Now patrons could drive right up to the super small stand, order, and get their food without leaving their car or using carhops. 

The second location opened in 1951, and by the time Harry died, there were 18 In-N-Out restaurants in Southern California. After his son took over in 1976, expansion became more rapid, and there are now over 400 locations in the United States. The family-owned burger chain continues to have a cult-like following, even with its status as a fast food empire, and customers still line up to order the same classics from the original 1948 menu.

While the Snyders' vision of In-N-Out as a family-owned business has survived, the original location has not. It was demolished to make way for the construction of the I-10 freeway, but the company has recreated the magic with a replica where the original once stood in Baldwin Park. The mini midcentury-style building is meant to take In-N-Out fans back in time, with an old cigarette machine and sign advertising the two-way speaker outside the restaurant. The menu boasts burgers for 25 cents and french fries for 15, which may hit like a cozy nostalgia wave or like a sucker punch, depending on how inflation is treating you these days. 

The inside of the restaurant is the same time capsule as the exterior, complete with an old-fashioned fridge and flat top griddle. Black-and-white photos around the restaurant tell the story of that famous first location where In-N-Out was born. Unfortunately, there is no food at this museum-like In-N-Out replica, so there are no Double Doubles served here — just a big dose of nostalgia. It's located at 13766 Francisquito Avenue, and is open from Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.