Our In-N-Out Burgers Celebrates 50 Years

I’m often asked where I get the info for my articles. In this case I’m borrowing from an article in the April issue of the Little Landers Historical Society’s newsletter written by Hally Winters.

There are few things that are more iconic to Southern California than In-N-Out Burgers. It, like several other fast food chains (McDonald’s, Carl’s Jr., etc.) had their beginnings here. 

In-N-Out was started in 1948 in Baldwin Park by Harry and Esther Snyder. It was a tiny box of a place, but it did well. They opened their second location in 1951 and expanded quickly. By 1975, they had 15 locations and Tujunga, on the edge of La Crescenta, would be their 16^th. (By the way, their original burger stand has been lovingly re-created in Baldwin Park as a mini-museum. Nearby is an In-N-Out store where you can buy In-N-Out T-shirts and other “logoed” merchandise. Definitely worth a visit.) 

Our In-N-Out opened at 6225 Foothill Blvd., just east of Lowell Avenue, on April 9, 1975. Founder Harry Snyder was there in person; it was one of the last In-N-Outs he opened before his death in 1976. It was immediately popular with high-schoolers who used it as a hangout after games and events. 

Interestingly enough, just two months after it opened it became a focal point for a little-known but crazy event in the history of the valley, the Foothill Boulevard Cruise Night Riot. The popularity of the Van Nuys Boulevard cruise night inspired local teens to start their own cruise night on Foothill in June 1975. The cars were to drive Foothill from Jack-in-the-Box in La Cañada to In-N-Out where they would turn around and do it again. The police came down hard on the cruisers and it turned into a full-blown riot. For three consecutive Monday nights, hundreds of teens battled police. The new In-N-Out became the focal point of the worst of the riots. On Foothill in front of the new burger stand the LAPD made a stand and hundreds were arrested. (Do a search of CV Weekly online for my articles about the Foothill Riot.)

After things calmed down, the Tujunga In-N-Out continued to be popular with both teens and families. And when I say “Tujunga In-N-Out” that may be a bone of contention for some. Yes, it’s technically in Tujunga but come on – it’s the La Crescenta In-N-Out, right? In Hally Winters’ article that issue is brought up – how the teens from Tujunga and La Crescenta would debate about just whose In-N-Out it was. 

During that era too, the late ’70s, the Boogie Bowl was right down the street. The Boogie Bowl was an incredible skateboard park that was created long before we had the skate parks in community parks like we do today. It was something special in LA. After a day of working the “kicktail” to do “ollies” and “kickturns” on the half pipe, skaters would head to the In-N-Out.

Hally Winters also relates how for many, including herself, In-N-Out was their first job. They took pride in their work and enjoyed giving others the enjoyment of the food they prepared.

Our In-N-Out gets a few celebrities too. For those who watch the show “Jay Leno’s Garage” we know that Leno regularly drives his exotic cars in the Tujunga area. Jay often stops at the Tujunga location. His signature burger is a double meat with ketchup. They should add The Leno Burger to their secret menu. (You all know about the secret menu, right?)

In-N-Out has been in the news lately with headlines that read In-N-Out is moving out of California in favor of Tennessee. I’m happy to report that news was misconstrued. In-N-Out is keeping a corporate headquarters here in the southland and it is simply adding another headquarters in Tennessee to support its eastward expansions.

We’re glad it is here to stay and we congratulate the Tujunga location on a successful half century. Whether they are in Tujunga or La Crescenta, we gladly join the line of cars out on Foothill and up Lowell to enjoy the simple menu and the fresh ingredients that make In-N-Out so special.