In-N-Out Burger, the family-owned chain known for its fresh burgers, secret menu, and not-so-great fries, is notoriously choosy about its expansion plans. Rather than plotting global domination or a sweeping initial public offering, the company opts to remain a privately owned, carefully curated brand that generally stays in its lane by sticking to its Double Doubles and milkshakes.
A rare Forbes interview with president Lynsi Snyder from 2018 reveals why:
I felt a deep call to make sure that I preserve those things that [my family] would want. That we didn’t ever look to the left and the right to see what everyone else is doing, cut corners or change things drastically or compromise. I really wanted to make sure that we stayed true to what we started with. That required me to become a protector. A guardian.
Given all this, it’s particularly notable that the chain is about to expand its footprint by opening its first New Mexico locations.
In-N-Out Burger will enter a brand new market by 2027
Sorry, East coasters, no In-N-Out for you just yet. The company announced on Instagram that it would be expanding to New Mexico for the first time, with its initial openings slated for Albuquerque. Its distribution facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado, will be the hub that distributes products to the new locations.
QSR Magazine reports that another location is in the works in Meridian, Idaho, which is also a new market for the chain. And it’s heading even further east than that: In-N-Out announced earlier this year that it will open its first location east of Texas in Nashville, Tennessee, by 2026. (Come to Chicago next!)
The Tennessee location is an important one, because a corporate office will also be built in the state. A 100,000 square-foot facility can only mean that even bigger plans are in the works for the future. And one big tell that there’s even more in store is that In-N-Out refers to this office as “an Eastern territory office.”
To recap, you can currently find In-N-Out Burger in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Oregon, Texas, and Colorado. So adding Idaho, New Mexico, and Tennessee as new markets will broaden In-N-Out’s footprint quite a bit. And who knows? By the end of the decade, it’s possible that none of us will have to travel all that far to get a Double Double. But if you hear rumbles of a new location by you, just make sure not to believe everything you hear.