a day ago
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Raising a family, doing business in California not easy, In-N-Out boss says
There's something about In-N-Out that strikes a fierce if not irrational sense of pride among many Angelenos and Southern Californians.
There are several fan clubs and awards, including Yelp's No. 1 Fast Food chain honor earlier this year and Market Force's 2022 'best burger experience.'
For some reason, there isn't the same fervor for Southern California's own McDonald's, one of the top 10 brands in the world, or for Santa Barbara's The Habit, which beat In-N-Out in July 2024 for USA Today's best fast food burger accolade.
Times readers even lambasted former food columnist Lucas Kwan Peterson when he placed L.A.'s Fatburger atop his fast food burger rankings in 2022.
Maybe that's what made the news that Lynsi Snyder, billionaire owner and chief executive of the iconic Baldwin Park brand, was leaving the Golden State last week all the more jarring.
Colleague Piper Heath broke down the announcement Monday, while columnist Lorraine Ali opined on what the decision meant.
Snyder made an appearance on the podcast 'Relatable' on July 18, hosted by conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey.
During the interview, Snyder uttered a statement that created shockwaves locally.
'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 as part of her announcement that her business was continuing its eastward expansion.
The move to Tennessee represents a seismic shift for the leader of the brand. Currently operating more than 400 locations across eight states — California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Oregon, Colorado, Texas and Idaho — In-N-Out has long thrived on being the burger chain you couldn't find everywhere.
Snyder's comments set off a disinformation blitz, launching the Double-Double into the middle of a red-state/blue-state culture war where, clearly, nothing is sacred, Ali wrote.
Anti-Cali factions incorrectly crowed about yet another business fleeing the West Coast. More proof that Gov. Gavin Newsom's 'failing' state sucks!
It appeared that In-N-Out was following Tesla and Charles Schwab, companies that cited regulatory challenges and operational costs among their reasons for relocating. Chevron also fled.
Many in SoCal felt abandoned and disrespected. They, after all, propped up the chain for 76 years, only to be told by its owner that the place that made her family's business — their home — is no longer to her liking.
On X, Oracle Park Seagull posted ''Not easy for In N Out to do business in California…' Said the person who became a billionaire doing business almost exclusively in California. So much so, it was a point of pride for the chain. Gotcha.'
During the podcast, Snyder discussed elements of California policy that make the state hard to operate in, referencing pandemic-era restrictions as particularly challenging.
She told Stuckey 'the bulk of our stores are still going to be here in California.' The relocation of both corporate operations and the CEO signals a fundamental change in the company's center of gravity.
'It will be wonderful having an office out there, growing out there, and being able to have the family and other people's families out there,' Snyder said, though she maintains limits on expansion.
Newsom even chimed in, starting his X post with, 'For those interested in the facts, rather than fiction, In-N-Out is expanding East — creating a second HQ in Tennessee.'
Snyder responded Monday in an Instagram post: 'Where I raise my family has nothing to do with my love and appreciation for our customers in California.'
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