The Fast Food Burger Chain That Changed The Drive-Thru Forever

Beyond its delicious burgers and fries, In-N-Out is beloved for its under-the-radar offerings. Like several other major fast food chains, In-N-Out has a variety of secret menu items, perhaps the most famous being the Flying Dutchman. There are even fake secret menu items that customers have tried time and time again to order. However, perhaps the best kept secret of the burger spot isn't actually food at all, but instead how the company paved the way for it to be ordered. 

What most fast food enthusiasts don't know is that In-N-Out invented the tool that helped create the modern drive-thru. In-N-Out founder Harry Snyder invented the two-way speaker system that is still used at drive-thrus around the world to this day. What eventually became a requirement in the fast food industry actually began as a passion project in Snyder's garage. He dreamed of a way to increase ordering speed without making customers get out of their vehicles, creating a more convenient experience all around. With some ingenuity and clever tinkering, the two-way speaker system was born.

Today, it's hard to imagine a world without the drive-thru speaker system. However, up until 1948, all fast food services were done with the help of carhops. Basically, these employees were tasked with taking customers' orders and then bringing said orders out to customers' vehicles. Whether you've been to one or noticed its distinct name, Sonic Drive-In still uses this previously popular approach to fast food service.

While the idea of ordering food without exiting your vehicle was already in place at this time, achieving quick and efficient service presented quite an issue. Prior to the speaker system, In-N-Out used a slightly different method in which customers could drive directly up to a window and place an order with one of the cooks. This resembled the modern drive-thru, but there were still issues with timing, as cooks had to handle both taking orders and making the meals.

After some late nights tinkering at home, Harry Snyder managed to invent a speaker system that customers could use to place their orders. This system took the pressure off of the cooks and prevented traffic from building up due to cars waiting to order. The two-way speaker system served as an elegant bridge between the staff and customers to the point that virtually every fast food chain has adopted the invention to help with tracking orders and service efficiency.