In-N-Out Burger CEO Lynsi Snyder has suggested Arkansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma could be among the next states to get the California-born chain, though she stressed that expansion will remain measured.
Snyder, whose grandparents founded the company in 1948, discussed the chain’s approach to growth in a recent interview with Terry Crews. For In-N-Out, she said, maintaining quality matters more than opening restaurants quickly.
She said she wants to ensure the company’s standards and values remain intact, pointing to its clean restaurants, food quality and friendly service. If she felt those were slipping, Snyder added, the company would take a different approach to growth.
In-N-Out says its ingredients are delivered fresh, and the chain does not use microwaves or freezers. Its burgers are made with fresh beef at patty-making facilities in California and Texas.
The company began as a small burger stand in Baldwin Park, outside Los Angeles. Its first restaurant introduced California’s first drive-thru, using a two-way speaker system that founder Harry Snyder developed to speak with customers in their cars.
In-N-Out opened its first Washington state restaurant in August 2025. The chain also entered Tennessee, opening its first location there on Dec. 10. It now has five Tennessee restaurants, with another listed as coming soon. The state marked the company’s easternmost expansion so far.
New Mexico is expected to become In-N-Out’s 11th state when its first restaurant opens in 2027, a plan the company announced in 2023.
Snyder said there is “a special peace” in knowing In-N-Out is not everywhere. While its growth may look rapid from the outside, she said, that isn’t really the case. Arkansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma are possibilities, she added, without offering a timeline.
In-N-Out has 299 locations in California, and Snyder said the company remains committed to its Southern California roots: “This is where we started, it’s where we are now and it’s where we’ll always be.”
