Yaranon siblings dominate In-N-Out Burger

(TARAH JOHNSON/EYE OF THE TIGER) Leah Yaranon works the counter at In-N-Out Burger while her siblings flip burgers in the kitchen.

TARAH JOHNSON

The family members filter through the door of their home sporadically – each one’s story of events at work that day more intense and riveting than the last. For the Yaranon family, this is a daily routine.

The famous fast food chain fellow Californians crave and fondly know as In-N-Out Burger isn’t merely a place of refuge and relaxation for its sun baked customers, but a steady place of employment for five of the Yaranon siblings.

One of seven children, Roseville High School senior Leah Yaranon is the youngest and the last member of the family to secure a part time job at the restaurant that currently employs or has employed four of her older siblings, two of them being RHS alumni.

(COURTESY/LEAH YARANON) RHS alums Jesse Yaranon and Ben Yaranon sit with their sibling RHS senior Leah Yaranon.

Jesse Yaranon, Class of 2015, and Ben Yaranon, Class of 2013, stumbled upon In-N-Out in their respective teenage years after their eldest siblings and haven’t left since. Leah secured the job in January of 2016 and appreciates the guidance her siblings provide.

“I love working with my siblings. It’s a lot of fun. It’s nice to get a lot of help from them, also I just learn from them too,” Leah said. “A lot of people don’t have that at their work, so I’m really lucky.”

While a separation between work and home is usually essential for success in the workplace, for Leah, her closeness with her brother and sister both in and outside work is what makes them click.

“We’re already really close and we’re not afraid to express that at work either. We’re crazy there too, and it’s nice because everybody knows us and they’re like ‘Oh, the Yaranons are here!’” Leah said.

Though the copious amounts of french fries and burgers produced at California’s favorite fast food chain on top of a rigorous time crunch might deter some people, Leah values the independence In-N-Out grants her as well as a decent salary.

“It’s really nice having your own job and your own money and it’s really nice working at In-N-Out,” Leah said. “A lot of people don’t like working at fast food places or where its fast paced but it’s actually great because it’s really good pay and I don’t even have to work that much to get a good amount of money.”

The secondest youngest sibling of the Yaranon family, Jesse has recently transitioned from part time to full time at In-N-Out, resulting in frequent eight-hour shifts. She credits her love for her job with her siblings’ presence at her work place and the stability and lightness it provides.

“I always enjoy working with Leah and Ben at work. Just because I know that we’re close and it’s always fun. They’re good workers too, so it’s not like they’re not going to get anything done,” Jesse said. “It’s always fun with them, we can goof around and everyone else seems to really enjoy it, too.”

While figmentary smoke and mirrors typically cast a facade on sibling relationships in the public eye, according to Jesse, there’s nothing withheld at the job when it comes to inner family ties and personalities. Jesse reveals that working with Leah and Ben is a stepping stone to success.

“For me I like the criticism that I can take from my siblings. We know how to deal with the fact that we can be almost mean to each other and it’s not like we hate each other,” Jesse said. “I find it great because it’s shows we care and we want each other to do well at our job, it’s all out of love.”

As post high school graduation suddenly transitions from an enclosed space to being at the mercy of the world, Ben attempts to earn himself a decent salary and a name for himself in lieu of a college education. With the job that’s sustained him since 2011 and a management position in the line of vision, Ben values the extra family time In-N-Out grants.

“All of my siblings are the most fun people to work with,” Ben said. “We were always close, and going to work together is just more time to be with each other and hangout. It’s like working with your best friends.”

With several years of experience under his belt, Ben tries to be a guiding figure to his younger sisters through their mutual workplace and personal life experiences in the hopes to teach them life lessons.

“I try to teach them to not go at anything half-heartedly in life, because you only have so many precious years and you shouldn’t waste them doing something that’s not worth it,” Ben said.

Holding the title of California’s first ever drive-thru hamburger stand and best customer service, it was clear to the siblings’ mother, Theresa Yaranon, where she wanted her seven children to be employed when they made their move to Roseville in 2007. Theresa believes In-N-Out has only strengthened the already closely knit bond her children share.

“When they come home from work they’re always talking about what happened that day and they talk for like 45 minutes to an hour in the kitchen. They still have their keys in their hand and their work clothes still on,” Theresa said. “They’re always ask me ‘Guess what happened at work today?’ So they talk about it a lot and that brings them closer together more in that way.”

Coming from a large family of her own, Theresa is familiar with the potential strain a hefty household can have on funds and salaries.

Trying to stay afloat when money is scarce and there’s one income supporting a family of nine, Theresa is proud of her kids for taking the initiative to support themselves and succeed under the circumstances.

“I’m really proud of them. We’re a large family, there’s seven children all together and Leah is the baby. We’re only on one income and my husband is self employed as well,” Theresa said. “So them getting jobs as early as they could while they were still in school was always going be something that we knew they would have to do, to support themselves. I think that’s really great.”