It’s a date that must be identified by lovers of messy and meaty cheeseburgers in all places, and particularly in Los Angeles.
On Aug. 1, 1966, In-N-Out Burger up to date its menu to incorporate the merchandise that may arguably change into its most celebrated providing — the Double-Double.
In-N-Out followers have a pioneering fast-food government to thank: Robert Lang Sr.
Within the early days of In-N-Out, which was based in Baldwin Park in 1948, some diners took to ordering hamburgers with double the meat and cheese. In some unspecified time in the future, they have been named Double-Doubles. However it wasn’t till 1966 that Lang, who’d labored for the then-burgeoning chain because the early-Nineteen Fifties, determined to formally put the particular burger on the menu at a brand new location in Azusa.
The Double Double from In-N-Out Burger.
(Mariah Tauger/Los Angeles Instances)
In-N-Out co-founder Harry Snyder was so taken by the concept he added the Double-Double to the menu on the firm’s 5 different places, proprietor Lynsi Snyder, his granddaughter, wrote in an Instagram submit Nov. 30. Of Lang, she stated, “He was many particular issues, and we positive owe him an terrible lot.”
Lang died Nov. 28 at 87, in accordance with son Robert Lang Jr. He stated his father, who lived in Rancho Cucamonga, had been in good well being. The trigger was not identified.
Lang was born in 1936 in Southern California and grew up in Baldwin Park, the son of a Dutch immigrant father and a German immigrant mom. The household had a namesake dairy close to the positioning that may finally home In-N-Out’s unique drive-in hamburger stand.
Whereas working as a truck driver as a younger man, Lang would finish his day with a 25-cent burger at In-N-Out, the Orange County Register reported in 2014. He stated he all the time ordered the identical factor: “A hamburger with onions. It was my reward.”
Earlier than lengthy, Lang was working at In-N-Out. And at 19, he turned co-manager of the In-N-Out in Baldwin Park, making him the youngest supervisor within the firm’s historical past, Lynsi Snyder wrote on Instagram. Years later, it was a household connection which will have led Lang to place the Double-Double on the Azusa eatery’s menu, his son stated.
Lang’s brother-in-law, Jon Peterson, served as the corporate’s signal painter and would create the menus on the drive-throughs. When it was time to make the menu for the Azusa location, Lang had an concept, his son believes.
“My dad in all probability informed him, ‘Hey, why don’t you set ‘Double-Double’ on the menu?” the youthful Lang stated.
As for the Double-Double itself, Lang consumed his share of them through the years, however finally downsized his ambitions. “In his later days he was glad with only a cheeseburger,” his son stated.
Amongst his different improvements, Lang got here up with the thought to place advertising verbiage on the protecting lap mats given to drive-through company. “Within the early days, the mats had a little bit map of the San Gabriel Valley and had the shops numbered on it,” his son stated.
Lang additionally was tapped by Harry Snyder to create In-N-Out’s first official handbook. To arrange it, his son stated, Lang would go to with Snyder, who’d “recite to him methods to cook dinner a burger, methods to cook dinner fries and so forth.”
“He wrote down what Harry informed him — it was mainly methods to run a retailer,” stated Lang’s son.
Through the years, the elder Lang held a number of positions at In-N-Out — he served as a retailer supervisor and division supervisor — earlier than changing into a so-called “QFC evaluator,” stated his son, explaining that the acronym stands for “High quality, Friendliness and Service.”
“He was there without end,” stated Christina Snyder Monahan, the widow of Wealthy Snyder, who took over and grew the chain after his father Harry died in 1976. “Wealthy beloved and trusted him and thought very extremely of him. He had the utmost religion and confidence in him. Bob’s values and who he was have been integral to what In-N-Out was and have become. He actually knew the grassroots values of In-N-Out and carried that forth.”
Lang retired from In-N-Out within the 2000s, and spent his time {golfing}, touring and typically educating a historical past course at In-N-Out College. He lately had event to revisit his half-century-plus with the corporate, which is now primarily based in Irvine and has practically 400 places, when he attended its seventy fifth anniversary celebration in October.
Through the gathering on the the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, Lang posed for images and even signed autographs. “He felt simply overjoyed,” his son stated. “At first he was in all probability shocked that folks requested him for autographs.”
Lang was a optimistic instance for his son — and supplied profession inspiration. Robert Lang Jr. joined In-N-Out in 1973 and rose by way of the ranks over the course of 45 years to change into government vp of operations earlier than retiring about 5 years in the past.
“I began out peeling onions and taking out the trash, similar to my dad,” he stated. “I needed to be like him, to honor the individual that he was.”
Lang was married 3 times. He’s survived by spouse Lynn Lang; sister Nancy Peterson; kids Robert Lang Jr., Mike Lang, Kelly Delizo and Andrea Hernandez; 11 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Instances employees author Stacy Perman contributed to this report.