Backlash to In-N-Out Announcement to Leave CA Sidesteps the Real Issues

As predicted, following the Globe’s article about In-N-Out President Lynsi Snyder’s announcement that she’s moving her family and corporate office to Tennessee, we received an email from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Bull Terrier Brandon Richards (He/Him), Deputy Director of Rapid Response, accusing us of spreading misinformation and demanding a correction to our article.

Here is what the Globe reported:

California ranks dead last once again in Chief Executive Magazine’s Best & Worst States For Business 2025. Tennessee ranks #1 once again, and now “The Volunteer State” is getting another of California’s oldest and one of the best known businesses in the country: After 77 Years in California, In-N-Out Is Moving to Tennessee.

Lynsi Snyder, President of In-N-Out is moving her family to Tennessee, and plans to open Tennessee In-N-Out restaurants by 2026.

California Governor Gavin Newsom and the state’s Democrat Marxist class have sent yet-another successful California business packing, looking for greener pastures, lower taxes, fewer regulations and a family-friendly environment.

“There’s a lot of great things about California, but raising a family is not easy here,” Lynsi Snyder said during a recent appearance on the Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey podcast.

“Doing business is not easy here now,” Snyder said of California.

Snyder said that in addition to moving her family to Franklin, Tennessee, a significant portion of the company will move as well. Some corporate employees will move to Tennessee, and others will remain in Southern California.

Snyder said they are making a long-term moving plan to give employees time to make their plans, as well.

Snyder shared her frustrations with California policies including the crime issues the stores have had in San Francisco and Oakland. She also the shared frustrations with the impossible policies during Gov. Newsom’s Covid lockdowns – “so many pressures and hoops we were made to jump through,” Snyder said. Masks, plastic shields, and the state made restaurants check customers’ vaccine cards during the Covid flu era.

“You’ve got to do this, you have to wear a mask, you gotta put this plastic thing up between us and our customers and it was really terrible you know. And I look back and I’m like, ‘Man, maybe we should have just pushed even harder on some of that stuff and dealt with all of the legal backlash.’”

This is the email from the governor’s office:

The CEO has since made very clear that In-N-Out is not moving out of California – she was speaking about her family. Since you spend so much time covering California, and pay attention to the Governor and what he and the office say, I am a bit surprised with the misinformation you pushed given this information was available prior to your article.

A new KCRA article includes additional comments from the company: “We’re not leaving California” In-N-Out says HQ isn’t changing with owner’s move to Tennessee

• Statement including in the article from the company:

• • “We’re not moving In-N-Out Burger’s corporate headquarters. In addition to our Baldwin Park office, we’re expanding with an Eastern Territory office in Tennessee to support our growth.”
  • “We’re not leaving California, or leaving our roots behind. Each one of our locations is here to stay.” 

It’s also been addressed via a statement on social media by the CEO.

Appreciate your quick action on your end to correct the article and help your audience receive accurate information about a company they likely enjoy!

Best,

Brandon

BRANDON RICHARDS (He/Him)

Deputy Director for Rapid Response

Office of Governor Gavin Newsom

The Globe replied:

Thank you for your concern Brandon. There is no “misinformation.” My article came out ahead of the KCRA article, and was solely based on the details of Lynsie Snyder’s interview with Allybeth Stuckey where she states she’s moving her HQ, along with a lot of In-N-Out employees who asked her to leave the state.

She’s reacting to the blowback and now states they will maintain the Baldwin Park location and the Tennessee location. She’s leaving California and taking her family and some employees with her. The reasons remain the same.  We will do a new updated article.

Thank you again for your concern.

Clearly because of the blowback she received, Ms. Snyder posted on Instagram a note acknowledging the company’s origins:

“I’m very proud of where In-N-Out started. Anyone who knows me knows how often I talk about our beginnings and how our Customers here in California helped bring us to where we are today. We’ve been expanding into new states since 1992, and we’ve stayed consistent with our standards for growth. Opening an office far from our roots is something new and exciting. It brings incredible opportunities for the people we love and the Customers we serve.”

I’m betting that she’s quite anxious to get out of this state. She got blowback for her announcement, rather than inquiries about her concerns, about why she is leaving.

That’s because the people in elected office running California don’t want to have that conversation. They just want more and more from California’s business owners, whether it’s Chevron and Vallero, a small manufacturing company owner, or the independent contractors who have fled the state just to be able to work.

The KCRA article reports, “Snyder’s interview led some to characterize the move as the latest example of a company retreating from California because of liberal policies. That drew the attention of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office, which pushed back on the narrative.”

This is the Gov’s press office snarky X post in reply to Ric Grenell’s:

For those interested in the facts, rather than fiction, In-N-Out is expanding East — creating a second HQ in Tennessee. The are consolidating their TWO SoCal offices into one — creating a Western Regional HQ to go along with their yet to be built Eastern Regional HQ.

Ric Grennel posted:

The primary point of our article is that Ms. Snyder’s reasons for leaving California, and taking as many of her corporate employees as want to join her, are the same as every other company leaving: punishing taxes, punitive regulations, hundreds of new anti-business policies and laws every year, failing public schools which have become indoctrination centers, erasure of parental rights – as well as the highest housing costs in the nation, one-third of the country’s poverty in California, most of the country’s homeless live on California streets, and most of the country’s illegal aliens reside here as well.

California is losing more workers than it’s gaining, new report shows, the Globe reported Nov. 26th. “Businesses are leaving because it is no longer economically feasible for them to stay within California,” the Hoover Institute says. “Businesses that remain in California are hiring much less, and California now has the country’s second highest unemployment rate,” according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Nov. 19, 2024.

We’ve written countless articles about businesses leaving the state for low income and corporate tax states, or no income tax states.

We even did a series called “Leaving California” and interviewed many individuals and business owners who moved out of California, going back to 2019:

Leaving California: Interviews With Californians Who Moved To Greener Pastures

Leaving California: Interviews With Californians Who Moved To Greener Pastures, Part II

Leaving California: Interviews With Californians Who Moved To Greener Pastures, Part III

Leaving California: Interviews With Californians Who Moved To Greener Pastures, Part IV

Leaving California: Interviews With Californians Who Moved To Greener Pastures, Part V

Leaving California: Interviews With Californians Who Moved To Greener Pastures, Part VI

Leaving California: Interviews With Californians Who Moved To Greener Pastures, Part VII

Leaving California: Interviews With Californians Who Moved To Greener Pastures, Part VIII

If California is So Totally Awesome, Why Are So Many Residents Leaving?

New Poll Finds That More Californians Than Ever Are Considering Leaving The State

and then we stopped counting…

More Businesses Leaving California In 2021 Than In Any Other Year Prior According To New Analysis

Leaving California Interview With Mark Snyder: ‘Is Sacramento and California in a Post-Hope Period?’

Leaving CA: Tech Giant Oracle Leaving California for Texas

Leaving California: Oracle Co-Founder Larry Ellison Announces Move To Hawaii

Leaving California: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Announces Move to Texas

I am very sad that these businesses left the state, and equally sad that Lynsie Snyder has to move to Tennessee for her children, and so her employees can afford to purchase a home.

Economist Dr. Art Laffer did an interview a few months ago on the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show on why he lives in Nashville, having moved from Southern CA: “Now why am I in Nashville? We are the lowest-taxed state in the nation and earning income is a lot more fun with lower taxes, lower regulations.”

Tennessee has no income tax, no death tax, has low property taxes, and is the lowest taxed state in the nation. Laffer said, “earning an income is a lot more fun with lower taxes.”

If you haven’t watched Lynsi Snyder’s interview with Allie Beth Stuckey, do – she’s compassionate, cares about her employees, and greatly appreciates her family heritage.