It's a date that should be known to lovers of messy, meaty cheeseburgers around the world, and especially in Los Angeles.
On August 1, 1966, In-N-Out Burger updated its menu to include the item that would become arguably its most famous offering: the Double-Double.
In-N-Out fans have a pioneering fast food executive to thank: Robert Lang Sr.
In the early days of In-N-Out, founded in Baldwin Park in 1948, some diners began ordering burgers with double the meat and cheese. At some point, they were named Double-Doubles. But it wasn't until 1966 that Lang, who had worked for the then-burgeoning chain since the early 1950s, decided to officially put the specialty burger on the menu at a new location in Azusa.
The Double Double from In-N-Out Burger.
(Mariah Tauger/Los Angeles Times)
In-N-Out co-founder Harry Snyder was so taken by the idea that he added the Double-Double to the menu at the company's five other locations, owner Lynsi Snyder, his granddaughter, wrote in an Instagram post on November 30. Lang said, “He was very special and we sure owe him a lot.”
Lang died Nov. 28 at age 87, according to his son Robert Lang Jr. He said his father, who lived in Rancho Cucamonga, was in good health. The cause is unknown.
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 mother. The family had an eponymous dairy farm near the site that would eventually house the original In-N-Out burger stand.
While working as a truck driver as a youth, Lang ended his day with a 25-cent hamburger at In-N-Out, the Orange County Register reported in 2014. He said he always ordered the same thing: “A hamburger with onions. “It was my reward.”
Before long, Lang was working at In-N-Out. And at age 19, he became co-manager of In-N-Out in Baldwin Park, making him the youngest manager in the company's history, Lynsi Snyder wrote on Instagram. Years later, it was a family connection that may have led Lang to include the Double-Double on the Azusa restaurant's menu, his son said.
Lang's brother-in-law, Jon Peterson, served as the company's sign painter and created the drive-thru menus. When it came time to prepare the menu for the Azusa location, Lang had an idea, his son believes.
“My dad probably said, 'Hey, why don't you put 'Double-Double' on the menu?” said young Lang.
As for the Double-Double itself, Lang consumed his share over the years, but eventually scaled back his ambitions. “In his last days he was content with just a cheeseburger,” his son said.
Among his other innovations, Lang came up with the idea of putting marketing words on the protective mats given to guests at the drive-thru. “At first, the mats had a little map of the San Gabriel Valley and the stores were numbered,” his son said.
Harry Snyder also tapped Lang to create the first official In-N-Out manual. To prepare it, his son said, Lang visited Snyder, who “recited to him how to cook a hamburger, how to cook French fries, etc.”
“He wrote down what Harry told him; it was basically how to run a store,” Lang's son said.
Over the years, Lang's father held various positions at In-N-Out (he served as store manager and division manager) before becoming a so-called “QFC tester,” his son said, explaining that the Acronym means “Quality”. , Kindness and [Customer] Service.”
“He was there forever,” said Christina Snyder Monahan, the widow of Rich Snyder, who took over and grew the chain after her father Harry died in 1976. “Rich loved him, trusted him and had a very high opinion of him. She had the utmost faith and trust in him. Bob's values and who he was were integral to who he was and what In-N-Out became. “He really knew the core values of In-N-Out and carried them forward.”
Lang retired from In-N-Out in the 2000s and spent his time playing golf, traveling and sometimes teaching a history course at In-N-Out University. He recently had the opportunity to review his more than half a century at the company, which is now headquartered in Irvine and nearly 400 locations, when he attended its 75th anniversary celebration in October.
During the meeting at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, Lang posed for photos and even signed autographs. “He felt very happy,” her son said. “At first he was probably surprised that people were asking him for autographs.”
Lang set a positive example for his son and provided him with professional inspiration. Robert Lang Jr. joined In-N-Out in 1973 and rose through the ranks over 45 years to become executive vice president of operations before retiring about five years ago.
“I started peeling onions and taking out the trash, just like my dad,” he said. “I wanted to be like him, to honor the person he was.”
Lang was married three times. He is survived by his wife Lynn Lang; sister Nancy Peterson; children Robert Lang Jr., Mike Lang, Kelly Delizo and Andrea Hernandez; 11 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Times staff writer Stacy Perman contributed to this report.
