In-N-Out’s billionaire owner vows iconic chain ‘will always be’ in California and says leaving the state would be the ‘dumbest business decision ever’

Lynsi Snyder, president and owner of In-N-Out, moved her family to Tennessee recently but reaffirmed that the iconic burger chain will never abandon California.

In an interview with actor Terry Crews that In-N-Out posted online, she was asked how the company will retain its California DNA as it expands to more states around the country.

“This is where we started. It’s where we are now, and it’s where we will always be,” Snyder replied.

Her grandparents opened the first In-N-Out in Southern California in 1948, and the company has gradually expanded to other parts of the state—and to other parts of the country.

While far from being the biggest chain, it retains a cult following that has helped its expansion as people who moved out of California make pilgrimages when restaurants open in new states.

But Snyder, who grew up in Northern California, revealed last year that she and her family were moving to Tennessee, saying that raising kids was difficult in the state and that “doing business is not easy” there either.

That sparked fears In-N-Out might leave California, prompting the burger heiress—who is worth an estimated $7.3 billion—to clarify that her departure from the state doesn’t mean the company will too.

In a video posted to her Instagram page last year, Snyder told followers: “We’re not leaving California, or leaving our roots behind. Each one of our locations is here to stay.”

Still, there has been a corporate exodus from California to states like Texas, where Elon Musk has relocated the headquarters for Tesla and SpaceX.

In-N-Out has also clashed with state authorities, such as when it refused to comply with officials and request that customers must show proof of vaccination to make purchases during the pandemic.

And the company reluctantly raised prices after California imposed higher minimum wages for fast-food workers in 2024.

But during her latest interview, Snyder addressed the fears about In-N-Out, which maintains headquarters in California and Tennessee.