Pretty. A Billionaire. Loves fast cars. I'm in love. Yes I am.
Posted on 02/05/2013 6:59:40 AM PST by Responsibility2nd
(Newser) – As far as company owners go, Lynsi Torres has to be among the most intriguing. A Bloomberg article attempts to put a finger on the mysterious In-N-Out Burger president who, at age 30, is one of the youngest female billionaires on the planet. As Seth Lubove reports, she ended up at the helm of the company, estimated by Bloomberg to be valued at $1.1 billion, by way of birth, and more than a few tragic deaths: Her father took control after his 41-year-old brother died in a 1993 plane crash; he died after ODing on prescription drugs six years later. Torres' grandmother then grabbed the reins until her death in 2006, which left the company with a single heir: Torres, who gained 50% ownership after turning 30 in 2012; she'll claim the other half upon her 35th birthday.
And things get more intriguing from there: She's been married three times and has twins, reports Lubove, but no college degree. She largely chooses not to give interviews, but her name quietly and occasionally pops up in the press: In September, she was reported to have purchased a $17.4 million 16-bathroom mansion in Bradbury, California; she's also a drag racer who competes in two National Hot Rod Association categories. Business Insider has an image of the colorful heiress, and Bloomberg has more, including a rundown of a 2006 lawsuit a former VP filed against Torres, which claimed she was trying to wrest control of In-N-Out from her grandmother. Or click for another intriguing burger-chain story.
Pretty. A Billionaire. Loves fast cars. I'm in love. Yes I am.
Oh. I forgot. If I divorce my wife and marry her, I can eat all the delicious In and Out Burgers I want. For Free.
(Yes, I’m kidding. Please don’t tell my wife I said this.)
Approving bump.
Hmmm... methinks she should be my second wife. The current Mrs. Tweezers can have everything (except my guitars and my tortie kitty).
I’ve always wanted to be a kept man. ;)
They make an awesome burger for a reasonable price. Wish we could get them to come to the Pittsburgh area. I especially like how they print Bible references on their wrappers.
Married 3X by age 30 says something about one’s personality. Either it’s one totally devoid of luck, or it’s one totally devoid of sense.
Already married three times by age thirty? Something’s going on there...
Already married three times by age thirty? Something’s going on there...
I"ll start ~ have done this probably more than once ~ San Diego/Carlsbad (probably the one at Palomar Road and I5) and Springfield VA (Backlick and Old Keene MIll/Franconia and I95) ~
Dunno about you, but I'd be in more trouble for eating all the burgers than for the Billionaire Heiress. :-)
Never been to California. But I do go to Dallas about twice a year. And I’m always intending to stop at In-N-Out. But I just haven’t yet.
But I do regularly eat the best hambugers in the Country:
Whataburger. Five Guys is good. But not as good as Whataburger.
Ok, who is going to ask “Does she like it Animal Style?”. Not me. I would never say that.
“Either it’s one totally devoid of luck, or it’s one totally devoid of sense.”
Heck, I’ve been accused both. Color me Number 4!
Closest we can get is Neptune Florida, about 2 days drive souf’.
She used to be a customer of ours at our little family store, and I met one of her previous husbands, someone who wasn't worth the time in my opinion, he had an eye on her future and how much he could get of it. Her current husband shares her passion for drag strip life, as well as a strong sense of independence (his cars are all sponsored by local businesses, not her trust.)
The property developer for In-and-Out had set up a nice little side business, getting wined, dined and paid off by cities and developers to secure future sites for restaurant locations. Fighting him over a planned development near our home was like dealing with the worst snake; thankfully plans were adjusted and the impact was mitigated, and he was eventually fi... Err, I mean, ‘chose to expand his horizons by moving on to another venture.’
I think the company is in fine hands; she's got a very good ability to recognize success, and how to replicate what works, and I'd expect the chain to continue it's slow calculated growth, as well as continuing to treat their workers like family.
I'd also expect to see a couple more changes in the executive lineup, but overall, her stewardship should see the company grow, continue to be extremely healthy, and thrive.
Married thrice?
In and out....
Got me.
Reminds me to catch an in-n-out this week though.
:D
Whataburger.
I’ve been happy as a clam since Wataburger followed me from Tx to North East Florida!
When my brother lived in LA, I visited and after being treated to In-N-Out all I could wonder was with all the other somewhat decent burger chains in California, how in the world could McDonald’s or BK compete?
In-N-Out has a simple product that is tasty... the stores are clean and the staff pleasant.
It’s an interesting business model.
...
And by that I mean, I had an In-N-Out double-double when I was in SoCal last week.
What did YOU think I meant?
I can’t STAND Whataburger. Or SteakNShake burgers.
I still can get In N Out here in Irving. But I was spoiled in Los Angeles.
Best burgers in the world:
1) In N Out
2) Tommy’s (the original)
3) Carl’s Jr.
A lot of people like 5 Guys but frankly I think they are 1 step above Jack in the Box.
>> I think the company is in fine hands;
Besides the great burgers, the thing that impresses me about In ‘n Out is their fast and genuinely friendly service. As with most other businesses, consistent excellence in fast-food product and service is a function of excellent MANAGEMENT.
Don’t know how they do it, exactly, but they’re very good at it.
Whataburger aficionado of 40 years here. Nothing beats them as far a chain burger joints. A few mom and pop local houses can but they are pricier. #1, no cheese, large coke, mmmm is it lunch time yet?
I bet I have eaten at 80% of their stores in Texas in my travels. I have made the trip to Whataburger mecca and eaten at Whataburger by the Bay several times.
Whataburger trivia, on their ketchup container there is a number (1 through 5) on the lip of the pull tab do you know what it means?
>> I can’t STAND ... SteakNShake burgers.
Yeah, I think Steak N Shake is highly overrated.
There’s another one in town — Mighty Fine — that IMHO is also way overrated. The place is like a zoo, you wait forever at peak times, the service is surly and disorganized, the prices are out the wazoo, and their food is just not *that* good.
Five Guys rocks though. And In ‘N Out is hands down the best overall package, including convenience and value.
>>Don’t know how they do it, exactly, but they’re very good at it.<<
A very real lesson in corporate culture. You get what you measure and in this case they measure freshness (fries made from whole potatoes sliced before your very eyes, fresh ground beef, whole onions, etc.) and CUSTOMER SERVICE.
I think the fact it has always been family-owned is a big part of it. They make it clear that you are visiting a local family business, even if there are many of them.
I don’t think there is a single aspect of In N Out that isn’t worth emulating.
>> Whataburger trivia, on their ketchup container there is a number (1 through 5) on the lip of the pull tab do you know what it means?
I’m guessing it’s how many times Mel Tillis stuttered that week saying “k-k-k-ketchup”. :-)
>> I don’t think there is a single aspect of In N Out that isn’t worth emulating.
Yep, they’d be an excellent case study of how to do business.
No.
Happiest day of my burger life was finding that Mansfield Tx had a Wataburger not far from where I lived.
>>Yep, they’d be an excellent case study of how to do business.<<
Too bad they are so secretive (maybe part of their success?). It would be interesting to see an episode of Undercover Boss (a guilty pleasure) with her (the subject of the article).
You can’t stand Whataburger, but you like Carl’s Jr.?
To each his own.
By the luck of birth and circumstance, she is a billionaire. Let's see how the company fares under her leadership.
Fellow Whataburger fan here.
Try putting their picante sauce on one of their burgers.
Awesome for breakfast.
I remember the 1993 plane crash. They were in a Gulfstream following a Boeing 757 into John Wayne airport.
The wing tip vortecies of the 757 flipped the Gx over like a toy into a car dealership on approach. I think people on the ground were killed also.
I did not know about the OD of the other brother. Sad and interesting.
I don’t watch much teevee but I’d watch THAT one. :-)
Carl’s is flame broiled.
Whataburger turns out greasy, tasteless and paper-thin patties.
Well, fwiiw, I haven’t been able to find a SINGLE restaurant of any kind (fast or sit-down) that can make a decent Patty Melt (don’t get me started on the gawdawful WAB version).
I’ll have to wait to get back to L.A. to find one of those corner joints (or, better yet, Beeps in Van Nuys).
*sigh* I love Dallas but I miss a lot of the “stuff” in L.A. (like food, weather, amusement parks, the beach).
But dynamite could not get me out of Irving. I have the river walk in my back yard so that makes up for a lot. That and Texas and Texans make it all worthwhile.
You KNOW she didn’t build that!
The lower the number the less sugar in the recipe. 5 is the sweetest. If you open and #1 and a #5 the #5 will look a brighter red due to sugar and the #1 will be a duller, browner color.
Hear, hear!
Your answer is slightly more believable than mine.
Learn something new every day!
In-N-Out has a simple product that is tasty... the stores are clean and the staff pleasant.
It’s an interesting business model.
Yup. And it's been very rare that I've gone into an In-N-Out that wasn't busy, even if it was in the middle of nowhere (of course the "middle of nowhere" stores are almost always near a major freeway). It certainly doesn't hurt that every store I've been in offers good service and a consistently good product either.
"Welcome to Carl's Jr. Would you like to try our EXTRA BIG A-- TACO? Now with more MOLECULES!"
I’ve never had an In-N-Out burger, but I have had one from Five Guys. And as for them, I’ll just let this guy explain the awesomeness that is Five Guys:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGkHRa64sDY
}:-)4
One of the few things Seattle has to recommend it: Dick’s.
It’s an addiction. I have crossed the state for a Dicks Deluxe.
That movie gets funnier as more of it comes true.
With a value of a billion bucks, I'm thinkin' the price isn't so reasonable after all...
Does that mean if they cut their prices in half, she'd still be worth 500 million dollars???
no kidding?
Carl Jrs....isn’t that what most of us call Hardees?
I mean really?
to compare that to Five Guys is ridiculous.
in any event...best burgers are usually in some hole in the wall or bar-tavern
I think Culvers is the best of the fast food burgers we get in Nashville
I don’t consider Five Guys or Burger Up or Cheeseburger Charlies to be fast food per se
I&O burgers must be good though since everyone raves on and on about them..all stores company owned
For some reason I have doubts about this photo. I remember the late Huell Howser going to their headquarters several years ago. The woman in the photo and the one in the Howser story do not resemble each other.
I have met and worked for every member of the whole family and the grandmother too, I am pretty sure I have met this girl also, but she was just a little girl then. Hell I might have been to her shack in bradbury also, been to most every house there at one time or another. They really were stand up, nice folks.
In-N-Out Pres and VP broke their own rule about not flying together....Both were on the flight that day..
BTW, In-N-Out Burger is the best....All these other wannabe burgers etc, are greasy cowflop in comparison.
Hot dogs. I SAY HOT DOGS. Portillos in Chicago. Nothing better.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.