Lynsi Snyder, the billionaire heiress and president of In-N-Out Burger, has recently opened up about why she’s packing up and moving her family out of California.
For decades, the burger chain has been a California staple, but after years of frustration with the state’s policies, Snyder is ready to head east—and Tennessee is the new home base.
California’s Challenges for Families and Business Owners
Snyder spoke candidly on Allie Beth Stuckey’s “Relatable” podcast, explaining the struggles she’s faced trying to raise a family and run a business in California.
“There’s a lot of great things about California, but raising a family is not easy here.
Doing business is not easy here,” she said.
She revealed that In-N-Out is actually building a new office in Franklin, Tennessee, and that she’ll be relocating there with her family.
Despite the move, most of the company’s restaurants will stay put in California — but they are exploring growth in new directions.
Expanding Eastward — But Not Just Anywhere
While many companies have been eyeing the East Coast, Snyder made it clear that In-N-Out isn’t ready to jump into places like Florida or other East Coast states just yet.
“Florida has begged us and we’re still saying no.
The East Coast states, we’re saying no,” she said.
Instead, Tennessee makes sense logistically because it can be reached easily from their Texas warehouse, which also helps serve nearby states.
Standing Firm on COVID-19 Rules and Customer Freedom
The podcast also touched on a moment of tension in San Francisco when one In-N-Out location was shut down for a short time after refusing to comply with a COVID-19 mandate.
Snyder said the company stood its ground, viewing the temporary closure as “worth it.”
Reflecting on the pandemic rules, she added, “I look back and I’m like, man, we should have pushed harder on that stuff. We are not going to be policing our customers.
I don’t want this and I don’t expect them to want it.”
Interestingly, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, known for his hands-off pandemic approach, reached out to her after that incident.
Shifting Headquarters and Joining a Growing Exodus from California
Earlier this year, In-N-Out announced plans to close its Irvine office and consolidate its West Coast headquarters in Baldwin Park.
The new Tennessee office will mark their furthest expansion east.
This move is part of a larger trend: from 2020 to 2024, over 500 companies—including household giants like Airbnb, Amazon, Apple, SpaceX, and Twitter—have left California or expanded elsewhere.
The Price Fight Over Minimum Wage in California
Snyder hasn’t shied away from speaking out on tough issues.
Last year, she revealed going “toe-to-toe” with California officials to keep In-N-Out’s prices stable amid a state minimum wage hike to $20 an hour—a steep increase compared to other states.
“I was sitting in meetings going toe-to-toe saying we can’t raise the prices that much.
We can’t,” she told NBC’s Savannah Sellers. “Because I felt such an obligation to look out for our customers.
When everyone else was taking these jumps, we weren’t.”
That $20 minimum wage hike, introduced by Governor Gavin Newsom, was $4 higher than in any other state for chains with more than 60 locations.
Who Is Lynsi Snyder and How Did In-N-Out Get Here?
Lynsi Snyder took over as president of In-N-Out in 2010 and gained full control of the family business in 2017.
With a net worth estimated at $7.3 billion, she is one of the youngest billionaires in the U.S.
The chain itself was founded by her grandparents, Harry and Esther Snyder, and has grown steadily over the years to more than 400 restaurants nationwide, becoming one of America’s most beloved burger brands.