LYNSI SNYDER
OWNER, PRESIDENT
IN-N-OUT BURGER
THE MONEY: Upon turning 35, took over 96% ownership of the Irvine-based burger chain founded in 1948 by her paternal grandparents, Harry and Esther Snyder. She had seen a slow increase in her holdings in the company for a decade as part of a trust created by her grandparents.
THE NUMBERS: The more than 400-store chain posted $2.1B in 2023 revenue, up 16% year-over-year, according to Technomic. Company is OC’s largest woman-owned business and region’s third-largest restaurant chain.
ON THE HORIZON: Expanding to new markets, including Tennessee, its farthest push east to date, by 2026, Washington state in 2025 and New Mexico in 2027.
KEY FIGURE: Her prior wealth was likely way underestimated. Chipotle market cap around 7 times sales. If same metric is used for In-N-Out, it could be valued at $14B. We make a conservative estimate of 3 times sales or $6B.
PORTFOLIO: In-N-Out owns all of its stores, and Snyder is on record vowing that it will remain a private company.
FAMILY HISTORY: She took over the president’s role in 2010 from Mark Taylor, who’d served as president since her grandmother’s death in 2006. Her father died in 1999.
AUTHOR: Snyder released “The In-N-Outs of In-N-Out Burger: The Inside Story of California’s First Drive-Thru and How It Became a Beloved Cultural Icon” in October 2023.
EXCERPT: “On Jan. 1, 2010, when I was 27, it was time to begin. Mark became the chief operating officer, and I stepped into the role of president. People ask me if I felt ready. That’s hard to answer … But I think if you wait until you’re perfectly ready to do something, you’ll never do it.”
