In response to criticism in California, where her grandfather founded the fast-food chain almost 80 years ago, Lynsi Snyder, the CEO of In-N-Out Burger, has declared that she intends to relocate her family to Tennessee as the company opens a corporate headquarters there.
Ms. Snyder, who grew up in Northern California, stated on Relatable, a faith-based podcast that explores politics, news, and society from a conservative Christian viewpoint, that I’m actually moving out there. (The packaging of In-N-Out features a little print of a Bible passage.)
In the episode that aired on Friday, Ms. Snyder, 43, stated that although California has many wonderful things, raising a family here is not simple. It’s difficult to do business here.
This is a significant step for the fast-food restaurant, which was founded in 1948 in California and has almost become as associated with the state as the Hollywood sign, palm trees, and sunny weather. In an Instagram post on Monday, Ms. Snyder stressed that the firm was not leaving California but rather that, in addition to In-N-Out’s corporate offices in California, it was building an Eastern Territory office in Tennessee.
Her article was made in response to those Californians who were disappointed by Ms. Snyder’s remarks on the podcast and accused her of being insensitive to the state where her family’s business and riches flourished.
Ms. Snyder’s complaints about conducting business in the state while living off the billions your company earned in California were deemed amusing by one commenter on the In-N-Out Instagram page.
Another wrote: Since Tennessee does not impose income taxes, be honest and just state that you wish to relocate there in order to increase your income. (Although it taxes corporate income, Tennessee is one of the few states that does not impose a personal income tax.) Ms. Snyder didn’t need to embark on a lavish California tour, according to one reviewer. The hashtag #boycottinnout was used by some.
The chain has already been criticized for other reasons. After the corporation donated $25,000 to the Republican Party in 2018, numerous customers called for a boycott, but it didn’t seem to make much of an impact.
More than 400 In-N-Out restaurants may be found in seven states, with the majority of them in California. The bulk of In-N-Out’s restaurants will continue to be located in the state, according to Ms. Snyder, who was appointed CEO in 2010.
Her Monday Instagram post, which received additional encouraging comments, stated, “Where I raise my family has nothing to do with my love and appreciation for our customers in California.” She went on to say: Relocating to Tennessee offers our In-N-Out employees fantastic chances to purchase a home, start a family, and participate in our growth in a new region of the United States.
In 1992, the burger chain, which is renowned for its straightforward menu and use of fresh ingredients, launched its first store outside of California in Las Vegas. In 2026, it plans to open restaurants in Tennessee in addition to its current locations in Arizona, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Colorado, and Idaho.
The chain will close its Irvine, California, headquarters by 2030, according to Ms. Snyder, the granddaughter of its founder, Harry Snyder. After that, it will run offices in Tennessee and Baldwin Park, California, a Los Angeles suburb where the first In-N-Out restaurant operated.
Ms. Snyder stated that In-N-Out was getting ready for its new office in Franklin, Tennessee, where she attended a groundbreaking ceremony last year, during the podcast episode, which focused mostly on her life and beliefs.
“Having an office out there and growing out there will be fantastic,” she remarked.
Although expansion is one of her objectives, Ms. Snyder made it clear that she intended to maintain In-N-Out as the business my grandparents founded. According to her, residents in states east of Tennessee shouldn’t anticipate seeing In-N-Out restaurants anytime soon because we don’t want to be everywhere.
Florida has pleaded with us, but we continue to refuse, she said. We’re still refusing, East Coast states.