In-N-Out is doubling down on plans to expand its business.
Officials at the California-based fast-food chain announced Tuesday their plans to open a corporate office in Tennessee by 2026, along with several restaurants.
The move to the state is the easternmost expansion to date for the company, whose current easternmost state is Texas.
It’s a change of mood for In-N-Out, whose president once said they had no plans to expand further toward the East Coast while they were alive.
The fast-food chain announced plans to expand to Tennessee by 2026
This map shows where In-N-Out currently has locations
The company’s owner, Lynsi Snyder, said in a 2018 interview with Forbes that she believes establishing restaurants in each state would “take some of its luster away.”
“I don’t see us all over the United States, I don’t see us in every state. Take Texas – draw a line up and just bear left. That’s in my lifetime,” Snyder said.
Despite Snyder’s earlier statements, the company has now solidified plans to bring a corporate headquarters and multiple locations to the state by 2026, she said.
“We’re excited to bring our quality burgers, fries and shakes to the people of Tennessee,” said Snyder, the only granddaughter of Harry and Esther Snyder, the company’s founders.
“With every decision I make, I always consider what my family wants. I have no doubt that my grandparents, father and uncle would be proud of this decision to expand our associate family and serve even more great clients beginning in the Nashville area,” the President continued.
Currently, In-N-Out has 385 US locations in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Oregon, Colorado and Texas.
The California-based company has a presence in just seven states
There are currently 385 locations nationwide
Snyder said in a statement Tuesday the company expects to begin construction of a corporate office in Franklin, Tenn., late next year.
According to the owner, the office will serve the “eastern territory”.
Snyder said Tennessee’s Nashville is at least a possibility for a location, but it’s too early to announce anything.
“When we’ve opened in new states, we get swamped with customers, so generally when we’re entering a state for the first time, we try to open two in a day,” she said
“We’re going to start with two and probably have a third shortly after,” Snyder continued.
Lynsi Snyder is the owner and President of In-N-Out and the only granddaughter of the company’s founders
Snyder told the Associated Press the company could also expand in the region as shipments from the Texas warehouse cross several states.
It’s a far cry from the burger shop’s origins in 1948, when it opened as a 10-by-10-foot stand in Baldwin Park, California.
“This expansion is important to our business,” said Snyder.
“For many years, we’ve received requests from our customers in Tennessee to open locations closer to them, further east than ever before,” she said, calling the customers the company’s “most important asset.”
“This expansion is important to our business,” said Snyder
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee welcomed In-N-Out to Twitter Tuesday in a video sharing the news.
“I’m proud to welcome In-N-Out Burger, an iconic American brand, to the Volunteer State,” Gov. Lee said in a statement.
State officials said In-N-Out’s Tennessee office is expected to invest $125.5 million.
An estimated 277 jobs will be created in Williamson County where the office is slated to open.
“Tennessee’s unmatched business climate, skilled workforce and central location make our state the ideal place for this family-owned company to establish its first hub in the eastern United States,” said Lee.
Tenneseeers eagerly responded to the governor’s message with dozens complaining about the imminent arrival of the “double double.”
“I agree with this message,” replied one person who had attached a picture of themselves on In-N-Out.
“Tennessee is on the verge of rising,” wrote another person.
“OH MY GOD this is one of the few things I’ve missed about Southern California,” another person said in a tweet.
It’s a big year for the company, which also plans to celebrate its 75th anniversary this fall.
Snyder announced last year that In-N-Out will be hosting an anniversary celebration on October 22nd at the Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California.
The party will include drag racing, musical performances, drinks, and an In-N-Out Burger Food Truck that will deliver menu staples.
Snyder also announced that the racetrack will be called In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip for the foreseeable future.
In a video on the In-N-Out website, Snyder said the burger joint would be throwing a “shindig” for the big celebration.
“We’re having a big hoopla at Pomona Raceway,” she said. “We will have drag racing. We’re going to have a car show. We will give concerts. We’ll eat something, have fun. You won’t want to miss it.
The owner explained that the place has sentimental value as her grandfather Harry Snyder took her there when she was a child.
“Pomona race track is very nostalgic to me because I used to come here as a little girl to watch my dad race,” Snyder explained. “It’s one of those things that fits right into the In-N-Out culture.”