Photo: Spatms, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Faith-Friendly Company
Woke Broke List usually covers companies that lost their way. On Sundays, we celebrate one that kept its faith.
Next time you finish a soda at In-N-Out, flip the cup over. Printed on the bottom rim is a single Bible reference: JOHN 3:16.
It’s there on purpose, and it’s one of the most heartfelt traditions in American fast food. The In-N-Out Bible verses print only the reference, a book, chapter and verse, as a gentle invitation to open a Bible and read it. Lynsi Snyder, the chain’s owner and president, encourages it: “I always tell people to go check them out. It’s like a little scavenger hunt” (Convene).
Where the In-N-Out Bible Verses Came From
The verses started with Snyder’s uncle, Rich Snyder, who became president in 1976 after his father, founder Harry Snyder, died. Snopes reported that company records show the references have been on the packaging since at least 1987.
“He had just accepted the Lord and wanted to put that little touch of his faith on our brand,” Lynsi Snyder told The Christian Post in 2019. “It’s a family business and will always be, and that’s a family touch.”
She proudly carried the tradition forward and expanded it, adding verses to the fry boat, coffee and hot cocoa cups. Flip, unwrap, look down. Here’s where to find each verse, according to published reports:
| Item | Reference printed | Added by |
|---|---|---|
| Soda cup | John 3:16 | Rich Snyder |
| Milkshake cup | Proverbs 3:5 | Rich Snyder |
| Hamburger and cheeseburger wrappers | Revelation 3:20 | Rich Snyder |
| Double-Double wrapper | Nahum 1:7 | Rich Snyder |
| Fry boat | Proverbs 24:16 | Lynsi Snyder |
| Coffee cup | Luke 6:35 | Lynsi Snyder |
| Hot cocoa cup | John 13:34 | Lynsi Snyder |
The fry-boat verse is personal. Snyder said Proverbs 24:16, “For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again,” went on the packaging “at a very significant time in my life after God picked me back up.”
“That was a verse I wanted to encourage people with because I feel like I’m probably not the only Christian who feels like they let God down.”
— Lynsi Snyder, on Proverbs 24:16, to the Convene podcast
78 Years In, Still Run on Family and Faith
In-N-Out opened on Oct. 22, 1948, in Baldwin Park, California. To mark the 78th anniversary in October, the company posted a 49-minute interview between Snyder and actor Terry Crews on its website.
The Orange County Register reported that Crews and Snyder discussed how her Christian faith guides her decisions. When Crews asked how she could grow the brand without losing its soul, she answered: “If I ever felt we were slipping or losing our way, growth would look a lot different.”
Giving That Builds Christian Storytellers
The family’s faith reaches past the drive-thru. On Oct. 15, Biola University dedicated a new $75 million, 45,463-square-foot home for its Snyder School of Cinema & Media Arts, which is named for Lynsi’s grandmother, Esther L. Snyder. Biola called the family’s gift the largest in its history. The amount was not disclosed.
The gift also set up the In-N-Out Scholars Fund, an annual scholarship for at-risk and foster youth who want to study film.
At the dedication, Snyder said the students “will bring something to get the attention of a perverse world,” showing that film and media “can share the gospel and real stories that others can relate to.”
Staying True, Without Compromise
What we admire most is how steady In-N-Out has been. It kept the same simple menu, kept the family in charge, and kept Scripture on the cup. While some big brands spent recent years at odds with their own customers (we covered one in Target’s Boycott Years), In-N-Out simply stayed true to who it is. Asked on the Convene podcast during the COVID-19 pandemic what she’d tell other business leaders, Snyder kept it simple: “Don’t compromise. Don’t stop trusting God.”
Where In-N-Out Goes Next
The chain now has 445 restaurants in 10 states, according to the New York Post. Snyder told Crews that Oklahoma, Arkansas and Mississippi are possibilities, KCRA reported, with no timeline. New Mexico is closer. “New Mexico has been waiting for us, and that will be soon,” she said. Its first restaurant there is expected in 2027.
Happy 78th, In-N-Out. Thank you to the Snyder family and the whole In-N-Out family for putting the Word where customers can find it, and for showing that a company can grow and stay true to its faith.
So when In-N-Out opens near you, grab a Double-Double, then flip the cup and look up the verse:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16, NKJV)