In-N-Out Burger CEO Lynsi Snyder is trying to clear up the confusion that sparked with sensational headlines and false social media posts, causing many to believe they are relocating their company from California to Tennessee.
It’s not true, Snyder says.
The 43-year-old granddaughter of In-N-Out founders Harry and Ester Snyder have recently appeared on a “Related” podcast. She announced that she is relocating her family from California to Tennessee.
“There are really great things in California, but raising a family is not easy here. It’s not easy to do business here,” Snyder, a mother of four, told host Ally Beth Stucky.
This short segment of much longer interviews has generated national headlines. On social media, many interpreted Snyder’s comments as an announcement that they abandoned California, which began as a small burger stand at Baldwin Park in 1948.
Late Monday, Snyder posted a video on social media to set the record straight.
“We’re not running the n-out burger headquarters,” she said. “We haven’t left California or left our roots behind. Each of our places stays here.”
In fact, IN-N-Out’s expansion to Tennessee was announced in January 2023 at the regional office in Franklin, a suburb of Nashville, and was scheduled to open next year. In February this year, the company announced plans to gradually move its headquarters from Irvine, Orange County to Baldwin Park.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Center, poses right with President Linci Snyder in Franklin, Tennessee on Tuesday, January 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Jonathan Mattise)
Snyder was sometimes a voice critic of California’s political and business environment, but she says that the personal move to Tennessee is just that: Individuals.
“I have nothing to do with my love and gratitude for my California clients. Everyone I know knows how often In-N-Out started, and how often we talk about our beginnings and how our clients here in California have brought us where we are today,” she said.
However, Snyder’s three-minute social media monologue was not a love letter to the Golden State. She also revealed that California’s high cost of living, particularly housing costs, is a factor in the company’s decision to expand to Tennessee and potentially other, more affordable states.
“When we move to Tennessee, our In-N-Out colleagues offer great opportunities to buy homes, raise families and become part of our expansion in other parts of the United States,” says Snyder. “It’s difficult here in California. This has nothing to do with my love and loyalty to the state and the clients. But I love our peers and me. [want to] Please provide this. ”
