In-N-Out Burger’s expansion into Tennessee gained new attention this week when CEO Lynsi Snyder announced on a podcast that she is moving her family from California to the Volunteer State.
However, buried within the interview was a comment that will certainly disappoint fans of the fast-food giant across a wide swath of the United States:
In-N-Out isn’t coming to the East Coast anytime soon.
“Florida has begged us, and we’re still saying no,” Snyder, 43, told Allie Beth Stuckey, host of the faith-focused podcast Relatable. “The [other] East Coast states—we’re still saying no.”
The Southern California-based chain announced its Tennessee expansion in January 2023, with a regional office in Franklin, a suburb of Nashville, slated to open next year. According to the Nashville Business Journal, In-N-Out is eyeing 35 potential locations in Tennessee, which will be served by the company’s distribution center in Lancaster, Texas.
In-N-Out is known for using only fresh ingredients—never frozen—including ground beef, so its stores are generally located within 500 miles of its distribution centers.
“We’re not putting a whole meat facility where we do all our own beef [in Tennessee]. We’ll have a warehouse, but not do our own meat there,” Snyder said.
She added that other states within range of the Lancaster facility could also be part of the burger chain’s expansion plans—likely leaving In-N-Out fans in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kansas, Mississippi, and Missouri salivating over the possibility of Double-Doubles and Animal Fries in their future.
Lynsi, the granddaughter of In-N-Out founders Harry and Esther Snyder, said the company needs to approach growth with a focus on quality over quantity.
“We have to have some growth, but we also don’t want to be on every corner. We don’t want to be in every state, and we don’t want to ever compromise our values and standards—the cornerstones that my grandparents laid down,” she said.
In-N-Out currently operates over 400 stores in eight states: California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oregon and Idaho. Its first Washington state location is expected to open within the next several weeks.