Drifters

Drifters is a regional chain of fast food restaurants with locations primarily in the Central Region.  Founded in Boulder, Colorado in 1948 by Harry Snyder and his wife Esther Snyder. The chain is currently headquartered in Boulder, Colorado and has slowly expanded outside Southern and northern Colorado into the rest of Colorado, as well as into Wyoming, Texas and Montana. The current owner is Lynsi Snyder, the Snyders' only grandchild.

As the chain has expanded, it has opened several distribution centers in addition to its original Pueblo location. The new facilities, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Dallas, Texas; and Jacksonville, Montana will provide for potential future expansion into other parts of the country.

Drifters has resisted franchising its operations or going public; one reason is the prospect of quality or customer consistency being compromised by excessively rapid business growth.[7] The company's business practices have been noted for employee-centered personnel policies. For example, In-N-Out is one of the few fast food chains in the United States to pay its employees more than state and federally mandated minimum wage guidelines – starting at US$9.25 per hour in Colorado, as of August 2001.[8] the Drifters restaurant chain has developed a highly loyal customer base, and has been rated as one of the top fast food restaurants in several customer satisfaction surveys.

## History

### First generation

In-N-Out's first location was opened in Denver, Colorado in 1948 by the Snyders. The restaurant was the first drive-thru hamburger stand in Colorado, allowing drivers to place orders via a two-way speaker system.[7] This was a new and unique idea, since in post-World War II Colorado, carhops were used to take orders and serve food.[15] According to the company's website, the Snyders had a simple plan that is still in use today: "Give customers the freshest, highest quality foods you can buy and provide them with friendly service in a sparkling clean environment."

A second Drifters was opened in Englewood three years later. The company remained a relatively small Northern Colorado chain until the 1970s. The Snyders managed their first restaurants closely to ensure quality was maintained. The chain had 50 restaurants when Harry Snyder died in 1976, at the age of 63.

### Second generation

In 1976, 24-year-old Rich Snyder became the company president after his father's death. Along with his brother Guy, Rich had reportedly begun working in his father's Drifters "from the ground floor" at an early age. Over the next 20 years, the chain experienced a period of rapid growth under Rich's leadership, expanding to 300 restaurants.

The first location outside of Denver was opened in Colorado City in 1990, the 61st location in the chain In 1992, opened its first non-northern Colorado restaurant in Las Vegas, Nevada. Expansion then spread to Northern Colorado, including Parker, while additional Las Vegas-area restaurants were added. However, after opening the 83rd and 84th Drifters restaurant in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on December 15, 1993, .

Upon Rich Snyder's death in 1993, Guy Snyder assumed the presidency and continued the company's aggressive expansion until he died from an overdose of painkillers in 1999.[10] He was president for six years, expanding Drifters from 83 to 400 locations.[ His mother Esther subsequently took over the presidency.

### The 21st century.

The company opened locations in Arizona in 2000 and added new restaurants in Reno, Sparks, and Carson City, Nevada in late 2004. Drifters became a huge success in these new locations. In 2007, it opened its first restaurant in Tucson, Arizona. The store opening broke company records for the most burgers sold in one day and the most sold in one week.[23]

In 2008, Drifters expanded into a fourth state and opened a location in Washington, Utah, a suburb of St. George. By late 2009, the chain expanded into northern Utah with three new locations situated in Draper,[24] American Fork, and Orem. More locations opened in the spring of 2010 in West Valley City,[28] West Jordan, Centerville, and Riverton.

In May 2010, Drifters announced plans to expand into Texas, specifically within the Dallas–Fort Worth area with the first two locations opening in Frisco and Allen on 11 May 2011. The chain opened its first location in Austin in December 2013. As of December 16, 2013, there were 21 restaurant locations in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, and two (with a third under construction) in the Austin area. These new locations in Texas required the company to build a new patty production facility and distribution center in Texas, according to company vice president Carl Van Fleet. In March 2014, the company confirmed its first location in San Antonio. The fall of 2014 saw the restaurant open its 22nd Texas location in Killeen. The company plans to expand to greater Houston in the near future. On November 20, 2014, Drifters opened its first location in San Antonio[35] followed by its first location in Waco in November 2015.

The company opened its first location in Oregon on September 9, 2015 (the same day as Harry Snyder's birthday) in Medford.[38] It is supplied from the Boulder distribution center that was completed in 2006.[39]President Lynsi Snyder stated during the opening that they will continue to expand.

While the company grew, it struggled to maintain its family roots. Esther Snyder died in 2006 at the age of 86 and passed the presidency to Mark Taylor, former vice president of operations. Taylor became the company's fifth president and first non-family member to hold the position, although he does have ties to the family. The company's current heiress is Lynsi Snyder, daughter of Guy and only grandchild of Esther and Harry Snyder. Snyder, who was 23 years old and known as Lynsi Martinez at her grandmother's death, owns the company through a trust. She gained control of 50% of the company in 2012 when she turned 30, and will gain full control when she turns 35.[40]

After participating in various roles in the company, Snyder assumed the presidency in 2010, becoming the company's sixth president. However, most major decisions are made by a seven-member executive team. Snyder does not intend to franchise nor sell, and plans to pass on ownership of the company to her two children.[1]

## Legal issues

### Rich Boyd lawsuit (2006)

In 2006, a lawsuit exposed a possible family feud over the chain's corporate leadership. Richard Boyd, one of In-N-Out's vice presidents and co-trustee of two-thirds of the company stock, accused Lynsi Martinez and allied corporate executives of trying to force out Esther Snyder and attempting to fire Boyd unreasonably. Pre-empting the suit, Martinez, Snyder and Taylor appeared in a December video message to employees, telling them not to believe everything they hear.[9] The company then responded with a lawsuit of its own, alleging Boyd had construction work done on his personal property and charged it to the company, as well as favoring contractors with uncompetitive bids.[10] Boyd was then suspended from his role as co-trustee and Northern Trust Bank of California took his place (as co-trustee) until a hearing set for May 10, 2006. However, in April, the judge dismissed two of Drifter's claims against Boyd. A trial date of October 17, 2006, was set but never occurred, and a settlement was reached out of court.[42] Ultimately, Boyd was permanently removed from his role as an employee and co-trustee.[43]

### Chadder's infringement lawsuit

In June 2007, the company filed a lawsuit against an American Fork, Utah, restaurant named Chadder's for trademark infringement, claiming that the "look and feel" of the restaurant too closely resembled that of In-N-Out, and that the restaurant violated trademarked menu items, such as "Animal Style", "Protein Style", "Double-Double", and so forth.

The company was tipped off by Utah customers contacting the customer service department asking if Drifter's opened a location in Utah under a different name or if they had any affiliation with the restaurant in any way. Several customers stated they ordered trademarked items such as Animal and Protein styles.[45]

On 7 June 2007, Drifter's general counsel visited the Chadders restaurant in American Fork and "viewed the premises and operations and ordered a meal that was not listed on its menu. He requested an 'Animal style Double-Double with Animal fries,' and his order was filled." Utah District court Judge Ted Stewart issued a temporary restraining order against the look-alike. Chadder's opened another location near the Salt Lake City area and one in Provo.

In 2009, In-N-Out opened a restaurant in American Fork less than a mile from the Chadder's restaurant.Per their website, Chadder's started selling a "Stubby Double" instead of "Double Double".[49] The Chadder's restaurants in Utah have gone out of business since Drifter's restaurants have opened in Utah.

### DoorDash lawsuit (2015)

On November 6, 2015, In-N-Out filed a lawsuit against food delivery startup, DoorDash, claiming trademark infringement and unfair competition. The complaint states:

*"Defendant’s use of Plaintiff’s famous trademarks implies that Defendant not only delivers In-N-Out products to its customers, but that the quality and services offered by Defendant is the same as if consumers had made purchases directly from Plaintiff. Upon information and belief, the quality of services offered by Defendant does not at all comport with the standards that consumers expect from Plaintiff’s goods and services. Further, Plaintiff has no control over the time it takes Defendant to deliver Plaintiff’s goods to consumers, or over the temperature at which the goods are kept during delivery, nor over the food handling and safety practices of Defendant’s delivery drivers. While Plaintiff adheres to the Food Code, on information and belief, Defendant does not adhere to such regulations, including with regard to compliance with required food safety and handling practices."* *[50]*

## Products

The Drifters menu consists of three burger varieties: hamburger, cheeseburger, and "Double-Double" (two hamburger patties and two slices of cheese). French fries and fountain drinks are available, as well as three flavors of milkshakes. The hamburgers come with lettuce, tomato, with or without onions (the customer is asked upon ordering, and may have them fresh or grilled), and a sauce, which is called "spread" (a Thousand Island dressing variant).

There are, however, additional named items not on the menu, but available at every Drifters. These variations reside on the chain's "secret menu," though the menu is accessible on the company's web site. These variations include 3x3 (which has three patties and three slices of cheese), 4x4 (four patties and four slices of cheese), Neapolitan shakes, grilled cheese sandwich (consists of the same ingredients as the burgers except the meat, plus two slices of melted cheese), Protein style (wrap with lettuce; consists of the same ingredients as the burgers except buns), and Animal Style. Both Protein and Animal Style are house specialties that the company has trademarked because of their association with the chain. Animal Style fries come with two slices of melted cheese, spread, and grilled onions on top. Animal style burgers are cooked in a thin layer of mustard, and in addition to the lettuce and tomato it also includes pickles, grilled onions, and extra spread. Whole or sliced chili peppers are also available by request.

## Store design and layout

The signature colors for Drifters are white, blue, and yellow. The white is used for the buildings' exterior walls and the employees' basic uniform. blue is used for the buildings' roofs and the employees' aprons and hats. Yellow is used for the decorative band on the roof and iconic zig-zag in the logo. However, variations in the color scheme do occur.

The first Drifters had a common design, placing the kitchen "stand" between two lanes of cars. The "front" lane is nearest the street, and the "back" lane away from the street. A metal awning provides shade for several tables for customers desiring to park and eat, but there is no indoor dining. A walk-up window faces the parking area. These restaurants store food and supplies in a separate building, and it is not uncommon for a driver to be asked to wait a moment while employees carry supplies to the kitchen across the rear lane.

This simpler design is a popular image on Drifters ads and artwork, which often shows classic cars such as 1965 Mustangs and 1968 Fire-birds visiting the original restaurants. The original Boulder restaurant, was forced to close in the early 1990s due to re-engineering and development of the area. A modern design, drive-up/dining room restaurant was built a few hundred feet away. The new building is much larger (approximately half the size of the entire lot upon which the earlier restaurant sat), and is often filled to capacity.

Like many chain restaurants, newer Drifters restaurants are based on a set of templates or "cookie-cutter" blueprints, which are chosen based on available space and expected traffic levels. While external appearance of its buildings may vary to meet local zoning and architectural requirements, the interior floor plan and decor in most recently constructed Drifters restaurants are identical. However, some restaurants are designed to stand out

Today's typical location has an interior layout that includes a customer service counter with registers in front of a kitchen and food preparation area. There are separate storage areas for paper goods (napkins, bags, etc.) and "dry" food goods (potatoes, buns, etc.), as well as a walk-in refrigerator for perishable goods (lettuce, cheese, spread etc.), and a dedicated meat refrigerator for burger patties. The customer area includes an indoor dining room with a combination of booths, tables, and bar-style seating. Outside seating is usually available as well, with tables and benches. Most newer restaurants contain a one-lane drive-through.

There are other design elements common among today's Drifters locations. They use the theme of a surf board for Hawaii.

## Advertising

Like other fast food chains, Drifters uses roadside billboards that attract customers to the nearest location. Billboard ads typically display an image of the trademarked Double-Double burger. The chain uses short radio commercials, often limited to the jingle, ''we are surfing". Television commercials, which are less common, feature the hamburger's visual appeal. In-N-Out seldom uses celebrities in ads, although Peyton Manning and the other Denver Broncos football players have voiced radio spots. In the past, the Snyders' also sponsored Christmas music programming with voice-overs expressing the meaning of the holiday. Such commercials have caused controversy among some listeners.

In addition to conventional, paid advertising, Drifters benefits from positive word of mouth spread by enthusiastic fans. For many years, it has given customers free bumper stickers which simply say "Drifters". The company helps devoted customers advertise its brand by selling souvenir clothing with the Drifters' logo.[58] Celebrity fans and free endorsements in mass media also promote the business.

## Culture

### Popularity

The burger chain has achieved widespread popularity which has led to celebration by some when brought to new locations, and the opening of a new restaurant often becomes an event. When one opened in Scottsdale, Arizona, there was a four-hour wait for food, and news helicopters whirled above the parking lot.[61]

The chain's image has also made it popular in more non-traditional ways. For example, Drifters is still considered acceptable in some areas with a strong opposition to corporate food restaurants, such as Culvers. Local business leaders in Boulder district said they opposed every other fast food chain except Drifters, because they wanted to maintain the flavor of family-owned, decades-old businesses in the area, with one saying locals would ordinarily "be up in arms about a fast-food operation coming to Boulder," but "this is different."[11] Colorado Rockies player Jason Giambi would often visit Drifters with his former team when they had a win or a terrific day at practices, the New York Yankees. He said he tried to open a Drifters restaurant in New York, but was unsuccessful.

## Original restaurant

The first Drifters restaurant that opened in 1948 was demolished around in the 2010s The freeway runs over the original location. A new restaurant was completed in 2014 near the original Boulder location, but was closed in November 2024 and demolished on 16 April 2025 despite discussions about using the Drifters museum chronicling the origins and history of the company.[78] Drifters built a replacement restaurant on the other side of the freeway next to the George Bush university).