In-N-Out Burgers, Inc.

What does In-N-Out Burgers, Inc. own?

The company owns and operates all roughly 440 In-N-Out Burger restaurants, plus its own patty-making and distribution facilities in Baldwin Park, California, Lancaster, Texas, and Lebanon, Tennessee. It owns no other restaurant brands.

Is In-N-Out publicly traded?

No. In-N-Out Burgers, Inc. is privately held and entirely owned by the Snyder family. It has no stock listing, no outside investors, and has never pursued an IPO.

Who founded In-N-Out?

Harry and Esther Snyder founded the company in Baldwin Park, California, in 1948, opening what is credited as California's first drive-thru hamburger stand.

Where is In-N-Out headquartered?

The company is headquartered in Irvine, California, and opened an Eastern headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee, in October 2026. It plans to move its California headquarters back to Baldwin Park by 2029.

Who owns In-N-Out?

Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson, the founders' granddaughter, is the sole owner and serves as president. She took full ownership in 2017 under the family trust structure.

Does In-N-Out franchise?

No. Every In-N-Out restaurant is company-owned and operated. The company has stated repeatedly that it will never franchise, which preserves control but limits growth speed.

How many states have In-N-Out locations?

Ten as of late 2026: California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Colorado, Idaho, Washington, and Tennessee, which joined the footprint in December 2025.

Harry and Esther Snyder opened the first In-N-Out in Baldwin Park, California, in October 1948. It is credited as California's first drive-thru hamburger stand, using a speaker system Harry rigged so customers could order from their cars, a novelty at the time. The menu then, as now, was burgers, fries, and shakes made from fresh ingredients.

Harry ran the business until his death in 1976, when the chain had 18 stores. His son Rich Snyder took over and expanded aggressively through Southern California, reaching 93 locations, opening the chain's first out-of-state store in Las Vegas, and moving headquarters to Irvine. Rich died in a 1993 plane crash. His brother Guy Snyder ran the company until his death in 1999, after which family trusts held ownership.

Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson, Guy's daughter and the founders' only grandchild, became president in 2010 and took full ownership in May 2017 at age 35 under the trust structure her grandparents established. Under her leadership the company has nearly doubled its footprint, entering Oregon in 2015, Colorado in 2020, and Idaho and Washington in the early 2020s.

The largest strategic move came in January 2023, when the company announced an Eastern territory: a new patty-making facility in Lebanon, Tennessee, a corporate office in Franklin, and an initial plan for 35 Tennessee restaurants. The first Tennessee locations opened in December 2025, and the Franklin Eastern headquarters opened on October 26, 2026.

The company has also confirmed its California headquarters will relocate from Irvine back to Baldwin Park, the founding city, by 2029. Snyder-Ellingson has named Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and New Mexico as expansion candidates, while insisting the company will never leave California.

The company does not hold major third-party sustainability certifications and does not publish a formal ESG report, consistent with its private status. Its principal practices in this area:

Pay and Benefits: The company is widely noted for paying above-market starting wages, with 2026 openings advertising $22 per hour, and for promoting managers from within. Employee retention rates are among the best in fast food.

Sourcing: Its supply chain emphasizes fresh, never-frozen beef from American suppliers, buns baked in-house, and hand-cut potatoes. These are quality rather than certified-sustainability commitments, and the company does not make formal claims about regenerative or certified sourcing.

Community: The company runs the In-N-Out Burger Foundation supporting child abuse prevention and the Slave 2 Nothing Foundation focused on substance abuse recovery, funded through company and customer donations.

The chain ranks persistently high in customer satisfaction benchmarks and fast-food quality surveys. Market Force Information and similar research firms have repeatedly ranked it first among burger chains for customer experience. Its wage practices and internal promotion record draw regular positive coverage, and it has appeared on Glassdoor's lists of top-rated fast-food employers. The brand itself, particularly the Double-Double and Animal Style customizations, holds near-iconic status in California food culture.

Political Donations: The company drew criticism in 2021 and 2022 over donations to the California Republican Party and the owner's political and religious views, generating boycott calls that did not measurably affect sales.

COVID-Era Disputes: In 2021, health officials temporarily closed a San Francisco restaurant for refusing to verify customer vaccination status, a standoff the company engaged publicly rather than quietly settling.

California Relocation Speculation: Snyder-Ellingson's move to Tennessee and her comments about California's business climate generated persistent rumors of a corporate exit through 2025 and 2026. She rejected them publicly in November 2026 as "the dumbest business decision ever," and the company continues expanding in California.