In-N-Out isn’t shifting to Florida
Photo: Shutterstock
Don’t expect an In-N-Out in Florida so quickly.
The venerable burger chain, which has been vocal about vaccine needs in some communities in its home state of California, said it has no plans to either expand in Florida or relocate its headquarters to the state.
This came after it became known that its President, Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson, was holding a meeting with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, whose office described the meeting as “productive” and suggested the chain could run across the country .
“On Monday, November 8th, In-N-Out Burger President Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson had a phone call with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis,” said Arnie Wensinger, In-N’s chief legal and business officer -Out Burger, in a statement. “The call came at the request of Gov. DeSantis and its primary purpose was to build a business relationship. During that call, Governor DeSantis kindly invited In-N-Out to do business in the state of Florida.
“Although we are grateful for the kind invitation, In-N-Out Burger has no plans or intentions to expand operations or relocate its headquarters to Florida.”
The typically quiet In-N-Out has taken a rare public stance on some vaccine requirements in California. The company temporarily closed its San Francisco location after refusing to allow employees to ask diners about their vaccination status. It later reopened with no seating in the store, which most of the other fast food chains in the market had already done.
Dining rooms at five locations in nearby Contra Costa County were subsequently closed after officials temporarily closed a location there because it failed to meet its request.
“We refuse to become the vaccination police for any government,” Wensinger said in a statement in both situations.
DeSantis, whose state has been sharing their different approaches to the pandemic with California, took the opportunity to highlight those differences by publishing the meeting.
His office revealed details of the meeting to the local media, calling it “productive” and suggesting that the temporary closings “sparked” discussions. Comments from the governor’s office suggested the supply chain was the only barrier between In-N-Out and east coast expansion.
Corporations routinely become political footballers, and it is common for mayors, governors, and other politicians to push corporate headquarters, sometimes because of different political views. And it is certainly common for them to push for restaurant chains to expand in their state.
Still, In-N-Out carries some risk when viewed as partisans at a time of intense political polarization – although the evidence is generally mixed as to whether such stands end up costing a company’s revenue.
At the same time, it becomes clear where many catering establishments stand for vaccinations. Many operators argue that they shouldn’t be the ones overseeing whether or not people are vaccinated, though it’s worth noting that the Golden Gate Restaurant Association endorsed San Francisco’s vaccination mandate.
In any case, an in-N-out movement or expansion would run counter to the typically moderate unit growth of the chain, which is confined to contiguous states. Despite its popularity, the 361-unit chain has seen average annual unit growth of only 3.7%. Its restaurants are concentrated in nine states, with Texas being the furthest east.
Members make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.
