In-N-Out Followed Me to Tennessee
- Austin Embry
- 1 hour ago
- 5 min read
Waiting for two hours in near-freezing weather for a fast-food burger sounds like insanity to most, but I would sleep on the cold pavement for a bite.
Of course, I could opt for the drive-thru line instead, but it raises the wait time to four hours.
Even the merchandise stands lines begin to overflow too, making the newly-paved lot even more of a maze.
Employees chat with antsy patrons and hand out free paper hats while they talk about their homes away from here.
This poses the question: What caused this many people to go crazy for a burger?
The answer is a story spanning decades involving fresh burgers, good memories and even politics — because of course it does.
In-N-Out Burger opened its doors east of the Mississippi for the first time in the chain’s 76-year history in Lebanon, Tennessee, on Dec. 10, 2025.
These openings drew California transplants in droves for their first fix since moving to the Volunteer State.
Living in California for 16 years from birth made me love this burger more than any 5-star meal out there. The only thing I want in this moment is to devour an In-N-Out burger and lick the cheese off the wrapper for good measure.
The best part about this: I knew this burger would taste exactly the same as the hundreds of times I ate it while living in the Golden State.
“There’s no fluctuation because it’s all coming from the same place. The sauce comes from the same spot, the meat comes from the same couple of spots, the bread they use the same bakery in California for all the stores,” said Victor Padilla, the creator of the In-N-Out Fans of Tennessee Facebook group, which contains over 44,000 members.
“They’ll send whole cases of food back if it doesn’t meet their quality standard.”
In-N-Out has remained a family-owned business under the control of the Snyder family since opening in 1948. This allows each location to maintain a high standard of quality — an oxymoron to many in fast food terms.
Staying family-owned also lets In-N-Out stay consistent in ways besides just the food.
The iconic crossed palm trees at the entrance, the red booths and chairs, and those paper hats you wouldn’t be caught dead in anywhere outside the parking lot. Everything stays the same.
“It’s basically a home away from home. It’s nostalgia,” said Padilla.
“Not only is the food great, but the vibe going there reminds you of when you were a little kid coming back from the beach.”
In-N-Out’s menu is about as simple as you could make a burger chain’s with just three meals on display, each one being a slight variation of their classic burger with fries and a fountain drink to go with it, or a shake if you want to tank your calorie deficit.
American Cheese, 100% ground Chuck Beef, sliced onion, fresh tomato, lettuce and their signature spread make up a classic In-N-Out burger.
Of course, being a veteran, I optimize this burger to make it even better than the menu recommends. Swapping raw onions for grilled and tripling up on patties makes the optimal fast food burger for a 20-year-old with a large appetite.
When I asked to speak to the staff for this story, my request was denied, citing policy against employee interviews. Their secrets won’t be revealed so easily—well, besides the secret menu.
Nowadays, the secret menu holds barely any secrets, but the lore of the items in the pre-internet age added so much intrigue to a pretty standard burger joint.
“I had a friend whose older sister worked there, and that’s how I got let in on the secret menu,” said Tyler Randall, a Tennessee resident who grew up eating In-N-Out burgers in California back in the ‘80s.
Animal style is In-N-Out’s worst-kept secret, a burger with a mustard-fried patty, grilled onions, pickles and extra spread for good measure.
You can even go animal style on the fries, adding cheese, grilled onions and spread to turn this side into a second meal.
The customization of In-N-Out brings in an entirely new group of fans. Do you want something healthy? Try protein style. Cheat day? Get a 4x4 animal style and fully indulge. Vegetarian?
“I was vegetarian for 10 years, and I found out you can have a cheeseburger with everything except the meat, you just ask for a grilled cheese sandwich,” said Collen Walker, a former California resident and longtime In-N-Out fan.
“Everywhere else you go, could you imagine? A McDonald’s burger without meat, it’s not even a sandwich.”
If you ever needed proof In-N-Out earned the trust of its customers, then there’s no better example than Walker, who put her first restaurant date with her now husband, John Lopp, in the hands of In-N-Out.
“She picked me up from the airport, and I was starving, so first place she took me was In-N-Out. That was the first time we ever met,” said Lopp.
Walker laughed when she told me this, realizing In-N-Out may have played a role in her marriage without even knowing it.
In-N-Out also prides itself on keeping prices low relative to competition, which becomes even more difficult in one of the most expensive states in America.
A double-double at In-N-Out clocks in at just $5.70, way cheaper than comparable burgers like the Big Arch, McDonald’s new double patty burger, which costs a whopping $8.29.
Plenty of loyal In-N-Out fans moved east due to the surge in prices post COVID-19 pandemic in California, and Lynsi Snyder, the owner of In-N-Out, came to the same decision with her family and restaurant.
“There’s a lot of great things about California, but raising a family is not easy here. Doing business is not easy here,” said Snyder on Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey, a conservative podcast.
It becomes easier to stay loyal to a restaurant when it stays loyal to you.
“They flew out high performers from all the other stores to help them out for a few months, so it was cool to sit down and talk with all of them since they are from San Diego, LA and Orange County, it’s cool to connect with people from your home,” said Padilla.
The employees get paid above industry standard at In-N-Out, which becomes noticeable the moment you step in line.
Wages start at $17.50 an hour, with the potential to earn up to $21.75 an hour, according to In-N-Out’s website.
Comparing this to the average wage of fast food attendants at other restaurants in Tennessee, who make $11.23 an hour, shows a stark contrast, according to listings on Indeed.com.
“I’ve seen employees at Taco Bell, Burger King and McDonald’s smoking a cigarette out back, never seen that at In-N-Out,” said Tyler Randall.
Waiting in this line was worth every second to me. Each person I talked to lived in California at some point and told their In-N-Out stories.
Sometime in the future, when In-N-Out inevitably debuts in a new state, I hope Tennesseans can gain the same nostalgia Californians boast about.
“It’s not just now nostalgia, it’s nostalgia I can be proud of,” said Michelle Randall, wife of Tyler Randall and former California resident.
An In-N-Out Burger isn’t the best burger you’ll ever eat. I try to tell people this when they expect a world-class experience for pocket change.
What In-N-Out provides is comfort food for a Californian, something Tennesseans can surely relate to.
Written by Austin Embry