Lynsi Snyder, president and owner of In-N-Out, is speaking out after social media users criticized her for comments she made about the chain’s home state of California.
Snyder, 43, issued a statement on July 22 after making critical comments about “The Golden State” when discussing her family’s move to Tennessee, where the company is also slated to open an Eastern office to “support our growth.”
“I’m very proud of where In-N-Out started,” Snyder wrote. “Anyone who knows me knows how often I talk about our beginnings and how our customers here in California helped bring us to where we are today.”
The backlash began shortly after Snyder, who has been in charge of the burger empire since 2010, made complaints about living and doing business in California in a recent interview.
“Like you said, there’s a lot of great things about California, but raising a family is not easy here,” Snyder told Allie Beth Stuckey, host of the “Relatable” podcast. “Doing business is not easy here.”
Snyder did not elaborate further on the reasons for why for she and a “handful” of In-N-Out employees along with their families will head east to Franklin, Tennessee, but told Stuckey that it “will be wonderful having an office out there, growing out there.”
In-N-Out heiress Lynsi Snyder responds to criticism
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In response to online flack that Snyder has received since the interview, she posted a three-minute In-N-Out themed montage across her social media accounts to dispel misinterpretations about the company’s expansion in Tennessee, and to show love to the company’s home state.
In the video, Snyder clarified the following points:
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“We’re not moving In-N-Out’s corporate headquarters. In addition to our Baldwin Park office, we’re expanding with an Eastern Territory Office in Tennessee to support our growth.”
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“We’re not leaving California, or leaving our roots behind. Each one of our locations is here to stay.”
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“Moving into Tennessee provides our In-N-Out Associates wonderful opportunities to buy a home and raise a family and be a part of our expansion in a different part of the U.S.”
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“Where I raise my family has nothing to do with my love and appreciation for our Customers in California.”
The move, Snyder says in her voiceover, is part of a “healthy plan” for the company’s growth and provides “so many” opportunities for people to own homes in Tennessee and the surrounding states they could possibly end up in.
“We’ve been expanding into new states since 1992, and we’ve stayed consistent with our standards for growth,” Snyder wrote. “Opening an office far from our roots is something new and exciting. It brings incredible opportunities for the people we love and the Customers we serve.”
Snyder also confirmed in the interview that In-N-Out burger plans to close its offices in Irvine by 2030.
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Who is Lynsi Snyder?
Snyder, 43, is the president and owner of In-N-Out Burger.
Her grandparents, Harry and Esther Snyder, opened the first In-N-Out in 1948, starting with a drive-thru burger stand in Baldwin Park, located about 20 miles east of Los Angeles. The chain is now headquartered in Irvine, California with hundreds of locations across the West and Southwest, including Texas, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Utah and Idaho.
Lynsi Snyder became the company’s president in 2010.
Her net worth is an estimated $7.3 billion as of July 23, according to Forbes.
Contributing: James Powel, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: In-N-Out exec Lynsi Snyder responds to backlash over Tennessee move
