Why In-N-Out Burger Isn’t Coming to the East Coast Anytime Soon

‍

Last year, In-N-Out announced its plans to open up future restaurants in Nashville, Tennessee – marking its first expansion east of Texas for the California-based burger chain.

‍

However, don’t expect In-N-Out to expand to the East Coast anytime soon. In a recent interview, when asked whether expansion to the East Coast is on the table, Lynsi Snyder, the Owner and President of In-N-Out, told NBC News, “Probably…never.” 

‍

In-N-Out is known for producing fresh hamburgers and fries. The chain has a strict policy against freezers and microwaves, and its restaurants must be within 500 miles of the company’s distribution facilities, allowing the hamburger meat and other ingredients to be delivered daily to each restaurant. In-N-Out also uses local bakeries that can produce the chain’s famous sponge-dough buns up to its standards. These are all non-negotiable supply chain considerations In-N-Out must have in place before considering expansion. A three-year timeline to open in a new state is standard for the chain.

‍

In addition to the focus on quality, In-N-Out is also committed to keeping prices lower than competitors. As such, high real estate, construction, and labor costs in places like New York would make it difficult for In-N-Out to maintain their business model without passing on some of those increased costs to consumers – something they don’t want to do.

‍

Hold up, adding this to my list of reasons why California is still a more desirable place to live than New York.