What Florida Officials (Including Governor DeSantis) Have Said About In-N-Out Burger Coming To FL

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It's no secret that some of Florida's government officials have done their best to lure In-N-Out Burger to come to Florida. So far, they've been unsuccessful, but Florida's Governor just arguably gave it another subtle try. This article will look at the history of Florida courting In-N-Out, the company's response, and the Governor's latest attempt.

For Floridians who don't know, In-N-Out is a California-based fast-food chain that All Recipes says has a "cult-like following." It is well-loved by celebrities for its Smashburger and it was recently seen by some as a very big deal when it expanded into Tennessee because, before that time, it was only available in a few states - typically in the western part of the United States.

It's not hard to see why Florida officials would want to lure In-N-Out to Florida. And they've tried.

The History: In the fall of 2023, I reported on how Florida's CFO, Jimmy Patronis tweeted that he believed that In-N-Out would eventually end up in Florida because "they love freedom." Patronis tweeted that he would welcome the company with open arms.

One could argue that Patronis was following the lead of Governor Ron DeSantis who, in 2021, reached out to the chain after a location in San Franciso was temporarily shut down due to pandemic mandates. DeSantis reportedly contacted owner Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson and offered Florida as a headquarters location for the company or as a place to expand.

In-N-Out gently rejected the offer. In a statement, In-N-Out's chief legal officer Arnie Wensinger explained:

"...a phone call was at the request of Governor. DeSantis and the primary purpose was to establish a business relationship. While we are thankful for the gracious invitation, In-N-Out Burger has no plans or intention to expand operations or move its corporate headquarters to Florida."

The Most Recent Attempt: In June of 2024, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appeared on Fox News with Sean Hannity and again addressed In-N-Out coming to Florida, saying, in part:

“If they decided to come to Florida, they would print money in the state of Florida, it would be so successful. But, you know, I think the company, you know, they like being where they are and I respect that. But they certainly would do very well in Florida.”

I could find no response from In-N-Out as of this writing.