This Is Actually What Happens At In-N-Out University

The legend of In-N-Out stretches far and wide. The burgers are nothing short of mouthwatering, and the simple selection of food is all a true burger lover needs for a good meal (though In-N-Out has a great secret menu you can hack). But In-N-Out's employees don't just show up and produce fast food greatness out of thin air. One fact about In-N-Out is that its employees are led by management teams that are dedicated and well-trained at the company's very own university. First established in 1984 in Baldwin Park, California, In-N-Out University is where the company trains its new managers on its standards and practices so that each location is run with the consistency that customers have come to expect from the chain.  

According to Redditors in r/innout, while participating in the "INO University" training program, students attend classes on topics such as employee scheduling and working with difficult employees (and customers), along with business and finance skills. The overall mission of In-N-Out (providing quality food and customer service), is also reinforced as part of this process so managers can model and promote the goals of the company.  

In-N-Out's massive success and cult-like following are proof that the company university is doing a great job. According to data from location analytics platform Placer.ai (via QSR Magazine), in 2022 In-N-Out averaged nearly 700,000 customers per store. That's a whopping number when you compare it to the industry average for the same year of only 121,000 customers per store for other chains. 

In-N-Out may not be the only fast food chain that invests in its employees (McDonalds has Hamburger University and Starbucks will assist employees in getting a college education at Arizona State University). But the training its university provides to its managers is a testament to the model the Snyder family, who founded the chain, has always promoted. 

INO University may not be quite like the hallowed halls of Harvard or other Ivy League colleges, but it does give its students the training they need to get the job done and to perform at their best. In order to attend, you have to be promoted from within the company to a management position at one of the chain's more than 400 locations. In-N-Out doesn't hire managers who haven't already put in their time learning the restaurant's ropes from the bottom up.

The company's employee advancement strategy is detailed quite clearly on its website. Employees start with Level 1, which includes counter work, janitorial work, and backroom work, and work their way up from there to the highest level, Level 8, which involves supervisory roles. Each level includes duties with increasing difficulty and responsibility, with management relief opportunities during meetings starting at Level 7. This "promote from within" practice, along with what they are taught at In-N-Out University, ensures that the chain's managers see that each location follows the company's standards for cleanliness, food quality, and customer service.