Car cruise brings In-N-Out Burger’s owner to Redondo Beach

An annual car cruise backed by In-N-Out Burger made its Los Angeles County debut in the South Bay on Saturday, Jan. 17.

It’s called Cruisin’ 2 Freedom, and it took up a large portion of the Redondo Beach Marina parking lot. It drew crowds to look at the cars under a blue sky with wispy clouds with temperatures reaching the mid-70s.

The event was previously held in Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa since 2022.

It benefits an organization called Slaves 2 Nothing, founded by In-N-Out owner Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson and her husband Sean Ellingson.

Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson drove the first car in the cruise, a red 1947 Ford Sedan.

The nearly 10-mile route started at Seaside Lagoon and proceeded along Del Amo Street to an In-N-Out drive-thru on Hawthorne Boulevard. It then looped back to the start on Sepulveda Boulevard and Catalina Avenue.

After passing a cheering station, Snyder-Ellingson paused for photos in front of a backdrop showing the first In-N-Out drive-thru, opened in 1948 in Baldwin Park by her grandparents, Harry and Esther Snyder.

Swing music from the 1940s accompanied the car show in contrast to a rock concert Slave 2 Nothing put on at the Hollywood Palladium in October to combat substance abuse.

Vehicles on display included a 1948 Woody given away by In-N-Out to mark its 50th anniversary in 1998; classic Chevrolet converibles; and Jeeps from Jeephers, a female car club from San Diego.

Jim “Jet” Neilsen was on hand with a 44-foot, 50,000 horsepower race car that he said hit 404 mph, setting a record for rubber tires on pavement. It’s purple with a cockpit and looks more like a plane than an automobile.

Slave 2 Nothing Foundation seeks to “free people from being enslaved to any person or substance.” It raised more than $587,000 through the cruise, a car show, raffles and a dinner with a silent and live auctions.

Proceeds will be distributed to organizations in communities where In-N-Out does business to combat human trafficking.

Slave 2 Nothing’s cruises take place in January, which is Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

An evening program on the sand at Seaside Lagoon included a video of In-N-Out staff telling how they rescued trafficking victims who came into their restaurans.

In-N-Out will continue ro raise funds for Slave 2 Nothing throughout January, inviting customers to round up their purchases for the cause. In-N-Out will match donations three-to-one up to $300,000.

Information: slave2nothing.org