LOS ANGELES (AP) — As California’s beloved burger chain In-N-Out burger is expanding nationwide, billionaire owner and CEO Linci Snyder has announced that she and her family are also using it to head east.
“There are a lot of great things in California, but raising a family is not easy,” Snyder announced last week on a “Related” podcast hosted by conservative commentator Ally Beth Stucky. “It’s not easy to do business here.”
Snyder said its headquarters will remain in California. The company announced in 2023 that it plans to open a Tennessee corporate office with restaurants in and around Nashville.
With the transition to Tennessee, Snyder becomes the latest prominent business figure to break away from the state known for its sunlight and regulation, progressive politics and punishable cost of living.
Other departures include Charles Schwab and Chevron, citing regulatory issues, taxes and high operating costs, and last year Elon Musk announced that it would move SpaceX and social media company X’s headquarters to Texas. He said at the time that California law prohibits school districts from requiring staff to notify parents of changes in the gender identity of a child.
Snyder is the granddaughter of Harry Snyder, the founder of the chain, which opened Southern California’s first drive-thru burger stand in 1948. California cachets have long been part of the brand’s identity.
According to its website, IN-N-Out Burger has more than 400 locations in eight states: California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Colorado and Idaho.
“From the first time I met Linci and her team, we knew (the chain) would thrive in a volunteer state,” Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said in a post on social media platform X.
Original issue: July 22, 2025, 7:16pm EDT
