Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson is the head of In-N-Out Burger, one of Forbes’ 400 richest people, and the bass player in a rock band.
She, along with some of her colleagues, will be performing at House of Blues Anaheim on Friday, Oct. 15 as part of an event called Rock 2 Freedom, which will raise funds to combat drug addiction. Snyder-Ellingson, who is also into drag racing, is also planning a car cruise in January for another of her causes, combatting human trafficking.
Both events will benefit the Slave 2 Nothing Foundation, set up by Snyder-Ellingson and her husband Sean Ellingson, in 2016. The foundation raises money and directs it to organizations that combat both substance abuse and human trafficking. In 2021, it made 96 grants totaling $1.7 million to nonprofit organizations in the seven states where In-N-Out has restaurants, according to a news release.
This weekend’s concert falls in National Substance Abuse Awareness Month, January’s car cruise will happen during National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
“We’re focused on two different things, but they really do overlap a lot,” she said in a phone interview from the chain’s offices in Baldwin Park, near where the company was founded by her grandparents in 1948.
Snyder-Ellingson came up with the ideas for both events, according to Todd Gorton, community engagement department manager for the In-N-Out Burger Foundations.
“She’s incredibly creative and loves to find new ways to raise awareness and to connect people,” he said in a separate phone interview. “Rock ‘n’ roll just seems to make sense.”
Rock 2 Freedom will be in the House of Blues’ main room and Foundation Room. It will include a performance by In-N-Out’s “family band,” .48 Special, with Snyder-Ellingson on bass and her husband on lead guitar. Most of the other members are from In-N-Out management, and their rehearsals are built around their work schedules.
“We all work full-time, so we cram it in when we can,” Snyder-Ellingson said in a phone interview. “Typically we do ‘90s alternative, classic rock, some newer stuff.
“When I say newer, I mean the last 20 years,” she added.
As well as musical era, the group’s repertoire has a focus in terms of its content.
“Almost every song has some kind of tie to substance abuse or drugs in some way, so it’s pretty relevant,” said Snyder-Ellingson.
The other bands on the bill will share the message, she said. They are the Long Beach hard rock band LAW, fronted by Jakob Nowell and the alt-rock band HU3M3N.
In-N-Out restaurants have canisters on their counters so that walk-in customers can donate, but the House of Blues concert is a unique way of reaching out to the public, according to Snyder-Ellingson.
“A lot of our events have been low-key, where the public hasn’t been made aware of them,” she said.
Snyder-Ellingson has a high profile in the business world and recently made Forbes magazine’s list of 400 wealthiest Americans for 2021. She doesn’t do a lot of personal appearances but is known to the staff of nearly 370 In-N-Out Restaurants. In June, she was the top-ranking restaurant leader in a survey of employees by jobs website Glassdoor.
Employees notice when she enters a restaurant.
“Sometimes one person notices and then it starts trickling through the staff,” she said. “They try to all casually look without looking obvious, but they still look obvious.”
Rock 2 Freedom
Where: House of Blues Anaheim, Downtown Disney District, 400 W. Disney Way No. 337, Anaheim
When: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 15. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
COVID-19 restrictions: Clear bag policy in place. Attendees must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of the event or full COVID-19 vaccination. houseofblues.com/safety-guidelines
Tickets: $100
Information: events.innout.com
Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson is the head of In-N-Out Burger, one of Forbes’ 400 richest people, and the bass player in a rock band.
She, along with some of her colleagues, will be performing at House of Blues Anaheim on Friday, Oct. 15 as part of an event called Rock 2 Freedom, which will raise funds to combat drug addiction. Snyder-Ellingson, who is also into drag racing, is also planning a car cruise in January for another of her causes, combatting human trafficking.
Both events will benefit the Slave 2 Nothing Foundation, set up by Snyder-Ellingson and her husband Sean Ellingson, in 2016. The foundation raises money and directs it to organizations that combat both substance abuse and human trafficking. In 2021, it made 96 grants totaling $1.7 million to nonprofit organizations in the seven states where In-N-Out has restaurants, according to a news release.
This weekend’s concert falls in National Substance Abuse Awareness Month, January’s car cruise will happen during National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
“We’re focused on two different things, but they really do overlap a lot,” she said in a phone interview from the chain’s offices in Baldwin Park, near where the company was founded by her grandparents in 1948.
Snyder-Ellingson came up with the ideas for both events, according to Todd Gorton, community engagement department manager for the In-N-Out Burger Foundations.
“She’s incredibly creative and loves to find new ways to raise awareness and to connect people,” he said in a separate phone interview. “Rock ‘n’ roll just seems to make sense.”
Rock 2 Freedom will be in the House of Blues’ main room and Foundation Room. It will include a performance by In-N-Out’s “family band,” .48 Special, with Snyder-Ellingson on bass and her husband on lead guitar. Most of the other members are from In-N-Out management, and their rehearsals are built around their work schedules.
“We all work full-time, so we cram it in when we can,” Snyder-Ellingson said in a phone interview. “Typically we do ‘90s alternative, classic rock, some newer stuff.
“When I say newer, I mean the last 20 years,” she added.
As well as musical era, the group’s repertoire has a focus in terms of its content.
“Almost every song has some kind of tie to substance abuse or drugs in some way, so it’s pretty relevant,” said Snyder-Ellingson.
The other bands on the bill will share the message, she said. They are the Long Beach hard rock band LAW, fronted by Jakob Nowell and the alt-rock band HU3M3N.
In-N-Out restaurants have canisters on their counters so that walk-in customers can donate, but the House of Blues concert is a unique way of reaching out to the public, according to Snyder-Ellingson.
“A lot of our events have been low-key, where the public hasn’t been made aware of them,” she said.
Snyder-Ellingson has a high profile in the business world and recently made Forbes magazine’s list of 400 wealthiest Americans for 2021. She doesn’t do a lot of personal appearances but is known to the staff of nearly 370 In-N-Out Restaurants. In June, she was the top-ranking restaurant leader in a survey of employees by jobs website Glassdoor.
Employees notice when she enters a restaurant.
“Sometimes one person notices and then it starts trickling through the staff,” she said. “They try to all casually look without looking obvious, but they still look obvious.”
Rock 2 Freedom
Where: House of Blues Anaheim, Downtown Disney District, 400 W. Disney Way No. 337, Anaheim
When: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 15. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
COVID-19 restrictions: Clear bag policy in place. Attendees must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of the event or full COVID-19 vaccination. houseofblues.com/safety-guidelines
Tickets: $100
Information: events.innout.com