{"id":1457,"date":"2011-05-13T15:00:07","date_gmt":"2011-05-13T19:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/on_the_front_lines_of_the_culture_wars\/?p=1457"},"modified":"2022-10-20T12:18:34","modified_gmt":"2022-10-20T16:18:34","slug":"why-is-there-a-bible-verse-on-my-cheeseburger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/on_the_front_lines_of_the_culture_wars\/2011\/05\/why-is-there-a-bible-verse-on-my-cheeseburger.html","title":{"rendered":"Why is there a Bible verse on my cheeseburger?"},"content":{"rendered":"

So, you\u2019re chomping away at a hamburger and notice to your surprise that on the wrapper in tiny letters is \u201cRevelation 3:20.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Yes, there is “John 3:16” in tiny type<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You examine the soft drink cup, and in the smallest possible print is \u201cJohn 3:16.\u201d On the bottom of the milk shake cups is \u201cProverbs 3:5.\u2033 And there on the wrapper of the double burger is \u201cNahum 1:7.\u2033<\/p>\n

What is going on?<\/p>\n

You must be eating at the In-N-Out burger chain, which has 140 or so stores throughout California, Arizona, Nevada and as of today, north Texas.<\/p>\n

The firm prints Bible verses on their wrappers and cups.<\/p>\n

And they won\u2019t say why.<\/p>\n

In 1948, husband and wife Harry and Esther Snyder were living in Baldwin Park, California, and had an idea for a drive-thru hamburger stand where customers could order over electric speakers and microphones \u2013 instead of the customary carhops at most such drive-ins.<\/p>\n

Ordering dinner through a two-way speaker box was quite exciting back then \u2013 but the Snyders hung onto customers with a policy of fixing everything quickly when it\u2019s ordered \u2013 as in no freezers, no warming bins and no microwave ovens.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
And on the double burger wrapper …<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The company won\u2019t say when they started printing Bible verses on their wrappers and cups, however. The first notice in the news media was around 1987.<\/p>\n

The Snyders occasionally explain to media inquiries that theirs is a family-owned business with no franchise stores or investors. So, they can print on their wrappers whatever they wish.<\/p>\n

On the burger wrapper is an only slightly food-related message, Revelation 3:20, which the customer can look up for themselves:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cBehold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him, and he with Me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The soft-drink cups have that old favorite, John 3:16. But customers have to look up for themselves: \u201cFor God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Longtime customers will tell that In-N-Out has other secrets that it doesn\u2019t discuss. For example, there are the unlisted items.<\/p>\n

If you tell a clerk you want a \u201cFlying Dutchman\u201d \u2013 which is not printed on any menu \u2013 will get you a bun, two meat patties and two slices of melted cheese, but no catsup, mustard or anything else.<\/p>\n

Ask for \u201cProtein Style\u201d and you will get a burger wrapped in lettuce \u2013 no bun.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A 20-by-20 burger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For those with a massive appetite, ask for a \u201c20 by 20\u201d and you will get 20 beef patties with 20 slices of cheese in a single bun.<\/p>\n

Though times have changed, little has changed at In-N-Out. The menu \u2013 burgers, fries and drinks \u2013 is still the same that the Snyders started off with in 1948. In the July 24, 1989, issue of Forbes<\/em> business magazine, then-president Rich Snyder stated, “It’s hard enough to sell burgers, fries and drinks right. And when you start adding things, it gets worse.”<\/p>\n

Harry and Esther are gone now. Their son, Rich was killed in a plane crash in 1993. Younger brother Guy now heads up the company with other family members.<\/p>\n

And why they print Bible verses on their hamburger wrappers apparently is going to remain a family secret.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So, you\u2019re chomping away at a hamburger and notice to your surprise that on the wrapper in tiny letters is \u201cRevelation 3:20.\u201d You examine the soft drink cup, and in the smallest possible print is \u201cJohn 3:16.\u201d On the bottom of the milk shake cups is \u201cProverbs 3:5.\u2033 And there on the wrapper of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":565,"featured_media":2800,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,83],"tags":[375,175,383,381,174],"class_list":["post-1457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible","category-inspirational","tag-bible","tag-in-n-out","tag-inspirational","tag-news","tag-scriptures"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy is there a Bible verse on my cheeseburger? - On the Front Lines of the Culture Wars<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/on_the_front_lines_of_the_culture_wars\/2011\/05\/why-is-there-a-bible-verse-on-my-cheeseburger.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why is there a Bible verse on my cheeseburger? - 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