Lynsi Snyder, billionaire owner of In-N-Out Burger, announced she is leaving California and relocating to Tennessee, citing the difficulties of raising a family and doing business in the Golden State.

“We’re building an office in Franklin, I’m actually moving out there,” Snyder revealed in an interview with podcaster Allie Beth Stuckey. “Raising a family is not easy here. Doing business is not easy here.”

While In-N-Out has historically avoided nationwide expansion, focusing instead on quality control in the West, the company is now planning to expand its presence in the southeastern US. The upcoming Tennessee office will serve as a regional hub, and by 2030, In-N-Out plans to close its Irvine office to consolidate West Coast operations under its headquarters in Baldwin Park.

Snyder pointed to California’s rising crime rates as a contributing factor in her decision. Last year, In-N-Out closed its Oakland location, citing safety concerns for employees.

The company has previously taken public stands against left-wing regulations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, In-N-Out refused to enforce San Francisco’s vaccine mandate requiring restaurants to check the vaccination status of customers.

“There were so many pressures and hoops we had to jump through. … It was really terrible … that was definitely where we held the line and were like ‘We’re not policing our customers,’” Snyder explained. “We were shut down for a brief moment but it was worth it.”

Snyder emphasized her commitment to preserving the company’s founding principles while allowing for growth.

“Number one priority is really keeping the company the same company that my grandparents started,” she said. “I want the legacy to continue. We’re doing that but we’re growing and we’re so much bigger than when they started it. So growth is healthy and we have to have that growth and so it’s really having that balance of okay, we have all of these amazing people coming up through management; they want to have a store one day.”

Snyder continued, “So we have to have some growth, but we don’t want to be on every corner; we don’t want to be in every state; we don’t want to ever compromise our values and standards; the cornerstones that my grandparents laid down.”