In-N-Out eyes Arkansas, Mississippi, and Oklahoma as CEO rules out East Coast — ever

In-N-Out Burger's president and owner Lynsi Snyder has put three new states on the map — Arkansas, Mississippi, and Oklahoma — as potential future locations, while making clear the chain's eastward creep will stay well short of the Atlantic coast, in her lifetime at least.

Snyder named the states during an interview with actor Terry Crews published on the company's website to mark In-N-Out's 78th anniversary. The occasion traces back to October 22, 1948, when founders Esther and Harry Snyder opened the first location in Baldwin Park, California.

If you look at the map, you've got Texas. There's Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma. There are some states that are possibilities.— Lynsi Snyder, President and Owner, In-N-Out Burger

The logic is logistical: In-N-Out's delivery trucks already run between Texas and Tennessee, and those three states sit along that corridor. Snyder offered no specific locations, opening dates, or firm commitments for any of them.

The clearest near-term commitment she made was for New Mexico. According to the NY Post, Snyder referenced a November 2023 Instagram announcement that an Albuquerque restaurant would open by 2027.

New Mexico has been waiting for us, and that will be soon.— Lynsi Snyder, President and Owner, In-N-Out Burger

Beyond those hints, Snyder was careful to temper expectations. The chain currently operates 445 restaurants across 10 states — all company-owned, none franchised — and she described its growth rate as deliberate rather than aggressive.

Though I think there's a lot of states that really want us there, it's not really in the works and not planned. I feel like there's a special piece knowing that In-N-Out isn't everywhere.— Lynsi Snyder, President and Owner, In-N-Out Burger

We have a very steady growth rate, and it's not really going up. In fact, sometimes we don't hit that.— Lynsi Snyder, President and Owner, In-N-Out Burger

The East Coast, a perennial subject of fan speculation, remains firmly off the table. Snyder has previously said she cannot envision In-N-Out operating there during her lifetime, and she reiterated the principle driving that stance.

We won't compromise on quality just to expand.— Lynsi Snyder, President and Owner, In-N-Out Burger

California, where the chain was born, is equally non-negotiable in the other direction. Describing a full departure from the state as "the dumbest business decision ever," Snyder said the company's roots there are permanent: 'This is where we started, where we are and where we will always be.' She added that In-N-Out continues to expand within California and has numerous locations lined up for cities across the state.

The expansion talk comes alongside other moves. In June, In-N-Out opened an 8,000-square-foot, two-story restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip inside the BLVD development near the MGM Grand — its second-largest location after its Barstow, California outpost — with seating for 220 and a terrace overlooking Las Vegas Boulevard, according to Complex. Snyder has also moved her family to Tennessee and is developing a second corporate headquarters in Nashville.

The company has also held firm on other aspects of its model. At a Pepperdine University appearance earlier this year, Snyder ruled out mobile ordering and delivery, citing the in-person customer experience and freshness as reasons the answer is 'no' — even as competitors have embraced both.

The goal is that the surroundings and the landscape and the weather and all of those things might be different, but we hope that In-N-Out stays the same.— Lynsi Snyder, President and Owner, In-N-Out Burger

Why it matters — With 445 locations and a no-franchise, quality-first model, In-N-Out's expansion decisions are unusually deliberate — and Snyder's naming of specific states signals where the chain's supply infrastructure could realistically reach next.

Reported by usatoday.com, complex.com, nypost.com