California-based burger chain ‘In-N-Out Burger’ has announced plans to open a new corporate hub in Franklin, Tennessee, along with several new restaurants in the state, The Tennessean reported on Tuesday.
The first restaurant will open by 2026, according to a company press release.
The company’s expansion is expected to bring a $125 million investment and 275 jobs to the area, as he popular burger restaurant already operates 385 locations across California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Oregon, and Colorado.
In-N-Out President Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson said, “We have our eye on a few locations,” before explaining the company’s plans to open its first Tennessee locations in the next few years, starting with two and possibly a third shortly after.
“When we’ve opened in new states, we get overwhelmed with customers, so we generally try to open two in one day when we are first stepping into a state,” Snyder-Ellingson explained, adding that she “fell in love” with Tennessee after a few visits.
“We came here years ago, actually East of the smokies, but came back out to Pigeon Forge and Nashville and fell in love. There was one other state definitely interested and wanting us there, but we chose Nashville,” she said.
“In-N-Out Burger is a great family business that has been operating for decades in this country, with a value system and a way of serving their customers that lines up just right here in Tennessee.”
Snyder-Ellingson, an outspoken Christian who enjoys a 96% approval rating from In-N-Out employees (Glassdoor’s highest ranking among restaurant chain corporate chiefs), added Bible verse Proverbs 24:16 to In-N-Out’s fries containers and Luke 6:35 to its coffee cups.
The restaurant’s soda cups famously have John 3:16 scrawled on the bottom.
“It was my uncle Rich who put the Bible verses on the cups and wrappers in the early ’90s, just before he passed away,” the billionaire businesswoman told The Christian Post.
“He had just accepted the Lord and wanted to put that little touch of his faith on our brand. It’s a family business and will always be, and that’s a family touch. In later years, I added verses to the fry boat, coffee, and hot cocoa cups.”
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, who was gifted with a signature red In-N-Out apron with his name embroidered on it, said in a video he posted on Twitter on Tuesday that the company’s decision to come to his state “means a lot of opportunity, and a lot of jobs for a lot of Tennesseans.”
Gov. Lee went on to promise that residents in his state would soon be able to enjoy “a double double, fries and shakes.”
The company’s Chief Operating Officer, Denny Warnick, announced plans to construct a 100,000-square-foot office in the Berry Farms area of Franklin by 2026, to house departments that will support In-N-Out’s growth in Tennessee, such as operations, management, and human resources, the Tennessean notes.
Construction is expected to begin late next year.
In-N-Out Burger, founded in 1948, will celebrate its 75th anniversary later this year.
