In-n-out CEO Rejects Rumors of Leaving California as “Dumb” Move

WHO:

Fortune - Lynsi Snyder is In-N-Out’s president and owner.

Fortune - Snyder’s grandparents opened the first In-N-Out.

Fortune - Actor Terry Crews interviewed Snyder; In-N-Out posted the interview online.

Fortune - Snyder is estimated to be worth $7.3 billion.

NY Post - In-N-Out is seeking to expand in Tennessee and other states.

WHAT:

Fortune - Snyder said In-N-Out “will always be” in California and called rumors of closing its California stores “dumbest business decision ever.”

Fortune - Snyder said the company has “lots of stores” planned for other California cities and that each California location is “here to stay.”

Fortune - In-N-Out has expanded to Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Colorado, Idaho, Washington, and Tennessee.

Fortune - Snyder said Mississippi, Arkansas, and Oklahoma are under consideration for expansion, with New Mexico also in the works.

Fortune - Snyder said In-N-Out is pursuing slow, steady growth without compromising food quality or her grandparents’ values, and cannot accommodate every request for a new location.

Fortune - In-N-Out maintains headquarters in California and Tennessee.

Fortune - The company resisted a pandemic-era request from state officials that customers show proof of vaccination to make purchases.

Fortune - In-N-Out reluctantly raised prices after California increased minimum wages for fast-food workers.

Fortune - Tesla and SpaceX headquarters were relocated to Texas by Elon Musk.

NY Post - The article reports that rumors are circulating that In-N-Out may leave California.

WHERE:

Fortune - Snyder moved her family to Tennessee; she grew up in Northern California.

Fortune - In-N-Out began in Southern California and has expanded within California and to other states.

WHEN:

Fortune - In-N-Out’s first restaurant opened in 1948.

Fortune - Snyder revealed her family’s move to Tennessee last year.

Fortune - California imposed higher fast-food worker minimum wages in 2024.

WHY:

Fortune - Snyder said raising children was difficult in California and that “doing business is not easy” there.

Fortune - Snyder described the family’s move to Tennessee as “kind of a God thing”; she had first wanted Colorado because she loves the mountains, but said her husband suggested Tennessee and “something just kind of clicked.”

Fortune - Snyder said the company’s California roots and continuing growth there make leaving the state unimaginable.

(UPDATED November 8, 2026 09:56 UTC)

In-N-Out owner Lynsi Snyder says the chain will stay in California, dismissing rumors of departure. The family-owned burger chain plans more California locations while steadily expanding into other states. Snyder says protecting food quality and her grandparents’ values guides growth, with Tennessee among expansion targets.