In-N-Out is trading West Coast vibes for a little Southern hospitality as it sets its sights on serving up burgers in Music City and beyond. The fast food spot famous for mustard-grilled burgers and Bible verses on its cups is cooking up plans for 35 locations in Tennessee. Owner Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson spilled the fries at the Nashville Business Breakfast on Feb. 4, per the Nashville Business Journal.
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In-N-Out is set to make its highly anticipated Tennessee debut later this year with the opening of its Franklin location, situated just 40 minutes from Nashville. Meanwhile, the company is also establishing its corporate “eastern headquarters” in Williamson County, marking a significant expansion for the iconic burger chain.
Snyder-Ellingson zeroed in on Tennessee for an eastern expansion due to some divine intervention.
“[My husband] just started talking about Tennessee, and then God started working on my heart. I started bringing it to the office, ‘I think we’re supposed to go to Tennessee,’” Snyder-Ellingson recalled, per the Nashville Business Journal. “It was really just a God thing. And then of course the more I’ve come here, I’ve fallen in love with really the whole state, but there’s something very quaint about, especially the Franklin area.”
Planned store locations in Tennessee include multiple stores in Nashville (10-15), Memphis (4-5), Knoxville (3-5), Chattanooga (2-3), and the Tri-Cities (2-3). There are also single locations planned in Clarksville, Cookeville, Jackson and Morristown.
In-N-Out plans to create 3,500 jobs at its Tennessee restaurants. It also plans to have 200 roles at its $126 million, 100,000-square-foot office in Franklin, set to open in 2026. Hiring details are still being finalized.
In-N-Out’s Home Base Will Still Remain in California
In-N-Out is expanding to Tennessee with significant investment. It’s supported by a $2.75 million state jobs grant and $1.89 million in local tax breaks over 10 years. Despite this growth, California remains its home base.
“We will still have our home in California because we came from Baldwin Park and have deep roots there. The bulk of our stores, at this point, are still there. We’ll still have a huge presence there,” Snyder-Ellingson explained.
In 1948, Harry and Esther Snyder opened the first In-N-Out in Baldwin Park, selling 57 burgers that night. Today, the company has over 400 locations from California to Texas and employs more than 40,000 people.
But don’t worry, burger fans outside California and Tennessee—you’re not out of the running yet. Want to guess where In-N-Out might pop up next? Just follow the trail of fries between Texas and Tennessee…
“We will receive delivery here in Tennessee from our Texas warehouse. Just to throw it out there, the truck is driving through some other states, some other cities. It would not be preposterous to think they might stop in some other places along the way,” Snyder-Ellingson teased.