Burger joints are rarely considered fun places to work.

But try telling that to employees at In-N-Out Burger. The Irvine-based chain was recently designated the Best Fast Food Restaurant to Work For by its employees in Los Angeles News Group’s 2015 Winning Workplaces poll.

So how does a hamburger chain achieve that?

In-N-Out spokesman Carl Van Fleet said it stems from the company’s employee-friendly culture — a culture that was forged by founders Harry and Esther Snyder, who started the business in 1948 when they opened their first 10-foot-by-10-foot hamburger stand in Baldwin Park.

“They were focused on taking great care of our customers, taking great care of our associates and maintaining an intense focus on quality,” he said. “That focus remains firmly in place today, and paying our associates well helps us maintain it … we’ve been doing that for decades.”

Van Fleet said the company — founded in Baldwin Park but now headquartered in Irvine — strives to maintain a work atmosphere that is “upbeat, enthusiastic and customer-focused.”

The pay is also better than average. In-N-Out’s starting wage of $10.50 an hour is considerably higher than the median hourly pay of $8.94 for fast-food workers nationwide.

“A higher pay structure is helpful in making that happen but it is only part of our approach,” Van Fleet explained. “It is equally important to treat our associates well and maintain that positive working environment in all of our restaurants. We do enjoy relatively low turnover and that, of course, leads to a more experienced team working in our restaurants.”

The company offers flexible schedules to accommodate school and other activities, and workers are also given paid vacations, free meals, comprehensive training, and a 401(k) plan.

“Many of our associates do decide to stay with In-N-Out Burger and eventually join the ranks of our management team,” Van Fleet said. “All of our restaurant managers and assistant managers started off their careers as entry level associates and worked their way up to the positions that they have today. There are many, many In-N-Out Burger associates who have been with us for 20-plus years.”

In-N-Out was also ranked the eighth best place to work in the U.S. by Glassdoor, a website where employees and former employees anonymously review companies and their management.

Scott Dobroski, a career trends analyst with Glassdoor, said In-N-Out’s ranking on Glassdoor’s “50 Best Places to Work in 2015” list carries a lot of weight since the evaluation comes from the people who know the company best — its employees.

“In-N-Out was the only fast food chain on the list,” Dobroski said last year. “Employees with In-N-Out talked about career opportunities and the opportunity to be promoted from within. They also talked about the company as a springboard for their career, as a great place to learn business fundamentals and then move on.”

The company’s nurturing atmosphere is amply reflected in reviews that were submitted to Glassdoor.

“Great pay rates, fantastic hours, calm and comfortable atmosphere, plenty of benefits, full of opportunity, friendly co-workers … overall very happy with the experience I gained here,” wrote one employee who works at an In-N-Out in Avondale, Ariz.

Another In-N-Out employee who interviewed at a Los Angeles location said it’s a difficult job to get — unless you know someone.

“The most important piece of advice from a current employee is to not give up and keep following up,” he wrote. “Managers love initiative and perseverance.”

In-N-Out’s initial Baldwin Park location was California’s first drive-through hamburger stand. It launched a family enterprise that now includes 303 locations in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Texas.

Along the way, the hamburger chain has achieved cult-like status among die-hard customers.

Lynsi Snyder, Harry’s granddaughter, currently serves as president of the company.