In-N-Out Announces California is Out and Tennessee is In

In-N-Out president Lynsi Snyder told popular Christian podcaster Allie Beth Stuckey on Friday that she’s moving the popular burger empire out of California and building a new office in Franklin, Tennessee.

“There’s a lot of great things about California, but raising a family is not easy here,” said Snyder.

In-N-Out opened the doors of its first store in Baldwin Park, California on October 28, 1948. It was a drive-thru stand located just across the street from founder Henry Snyder’s childhood home.

Christian fans of the burger chain especially appreciate the company’s tradition of placing Bible verses on the company’s cups and wrappers. Lynsi’s Uncle Rich was responsible for that evangelistic expression. Taking over as head of the company at the age of 24, Rich became a Christian soon after he began attending Calvary Chapel and soaking up the teaching of pioneering pastor Chuck Smith.

Rich Snyder died tragically in an airplane crash in 1993, but his niece Lynsi happily maintained the tradition as a way to honor both his legacy and her love for the Lord.

Moving a company or organization out-of-state can be a herculean task and a decision that’s never taken lightly. But California’s deteriorating social culture and escalating antagonism towards convictional Christians forced Lynsi’s hand.

Incidentally, Focus on the Family departed California back in 1991. The ideological chasm wasn’t nearly as wide as it is today, but the cost of living and the difficulty of hiring and retaining top talent was a significant point of tension and reason for the move from Pomona to Colorado Springs.

A survey by Emerson College Polling last year revealed that 56% of Californians have thought about pulling up stakes and leaving the Golden State permanently. According to data from the Census Bureau, California experienced a net loss of nearly 240,000 people in 2024 – and the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

Last year, In-N-Out decided to shutter a restaurant in Oakland, Calif., out of concern for customer and employee safety.

“There was actually — gunshots went through the store, there was a stabbing, there was a lot,” said Snyder. “For the safety of our associates, we just felt like, this is not OK.”

Meanwhile, Tennessee has enjoyed steady population growth in recent years and has been experiencing a net gain of tens of thousands of new residents annually. Drawn to the area because of its lower cost of living – the state has no income tax – and isn’t in a constant battle with moms and dads over parental rights. It’s also friendly to Christians and doesn’t see believers as hostile actors but rather good citizens.

Preborn children are safe in the Volunteer State thanks to Tennessee’s Human Life Protection Act of 2022 that banned abortion. The state also looks out for the welfare of sexually confused minors. Children aren’t allowed to be sexually mutilated thanks to the passage of SB1, which the Supreme Court recently upheld as constitutional.

For all these reasons and more, In-N-Out and Lynsi Snyder and her family will be warmly welcomed in Franklin, Tennessee. The company’s first restaurant in their new state is expected to open in 2026.

Will the company’s departure from its home for the last 77 years be enough to get the attention of the radical ideologues who seem determined to drive people and businesses like them away? Only time will tell.

Image from Getty.