In-N-Out Burger CEO to join the list of high-profile business figures to leave California
Jul 22, 2025, 3:02 PM
FILE - Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, center, poses with In-N-Out Burger owner and President Lynsi Snyder, to his right, in Franklin, Tenn., on Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Jonathan Mattise, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Jonathan Mattise, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� As California鈥檚 much-loved hamburger chain In-N-Out Burger expands across the country into Tennessee, billionaire owner and CEO Lynsi Snyder has announced she and her family are going with it and heading east, too.
鈥淭here are a lot of great things about California, but raising a family is not easy here,鈥� Snyder announced last week on the 鈥淩elatable鈥� podcast, hosted by conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey. 鈥淒oing business is not easy here.鈥�
Snyder said the corporate headquarters will remain in California. The company announced in 2023 that it planned to open a corporate office in Tennessee, along with restaurants in and around Nashville.
With her move to Tennessee, Snyder becomes the latest high-profile business figure to decamp a state known for its sunshine but also heavy taxes and regulation, progressive politics and a punishing cost of living.
Other departures have included Charles Schwab and Chevron, which cited regulatory issues, taxes and high operating costs, and Elon Musk announced last year he was moving the headquarters of SpaceX and social media company X to Texas. He said at the time that a California law barring school districts from requiring staff to notify parents of their child鈥檚 gender identification change was the 鈥渇inal straw.鈥�
Snyder is the granddaughter of the chain鈥檚 founder, Harry Snyder, who opened his first drive-thru hamburger stand in Southern California in 1948. The California cache has long been part of the brand’s identity.
According to its website, In-N-Out Burger has over 400 locations across eight states 鈥� California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Colorado and Idaho.
In a post on the social media platform X, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said, 鈥淔rom the first time I met Lynsi and her team, we both knew (the chain) would thrive in the Volunteer State.鈥�
