In N Out Will Open New Restaurants In Nashville, Their First Locations East Of The Mississippi River

ABC News - In-N-Out Burger announced Tuesday that it plans to open a corporate office in Tennessee and restaurants in and around Nashville by 2026, marking the company’s first expansion east of Texas.

Gov. Bill Lee joined In-N-Out Burger owner and President Lynsi Snyder along with other government and company officials in announcing plans for an office to be built in Franklin, a suburb south of the Nashville metro area.

Founded in 1948 by Harry and Esther Snyder as California’s first drive-thru hamburger stand, In-N-Out is still owned and operated by the Snyder family. Its corporate offices are in Irvine and Baldwin Park, California, and there are currently 385 locations throughout California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Oregon and Colorado.

Lynsi Snyder, granddaughter of Harry and Esther Snyder, hinted that the Tennessee expansion will result in future restaurant openings in other states as well.

Before we get to the meat and bones of this, let's make one thing clear- In-N-Out is good. Every single year the argument comes up and it's so tiring at this point, "Is In N Out overrated?". NO! It's properly rated! It's a delicious fast food cheeseburger for a reasonable price! Everyone loves to complicate the conversation when there's no need to. Nobody is saying it's god damn Le Bernardin for heaven's sake. You get your double double animal style, you get fries, you get an iced tea (no more milkshakes because that kills the tum tum), and you enjoy it!

Now let us get into the meat and bones of it- I thoroughly enjoy In-N-Out but I LOVE the fact it's a destination food. I love that it's a treat any time I'm in Vegas or on the west coast. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. That's where the whole "overrated" thing came from- because people would go to California and say how awesome it is, so the expectations became that it better make you shoot 5 ropes in your pants after your first bite. But if you only have it once a year like me, you know exactly how good it's going to be and it's a treat each and every time. And that's why I don't want them anywhere near me. It will ruin the experience. It'll become "just another restaurant" instead of a pilgrimage to a mecca that I look forward to.

Now luckily, Nashville is nowhere near NYC so as of right now I have nothing to worry about. But even though the In-N-Out folks have always said they are going to keep it small and keep it in the family, and have turned down billions from other corporations to be bought out, you never know what the future holds. If Vince can sell the company business to the Saudis, In-N-Out could become the next Subway. Let us hope it's not the case, because it's perfect just the way it is now.