In-N-Out Burgers Could Be Just 1 State Away From Florida By 2026
A lot of chains have come to Florida over the past decade: Trader Joe’s has flourished with their first 2 popular locations in Tampa and St. Pete. Shoppers want more. And there are Wawa gas stations with those great subs everywhere in Tampa Bay now. But that one last elusive chain many want is In-N-Out Burgers.
The west coast burger chain has no plans for Florida right now… at least that are known to the public. As of now, the only states with In-N-Out Burger locations are in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Oregon and Colorado. But one of our neighboring states might be able to enjoy one of those Double Double Animal Style burgers in the next few years.
Why are there no In-N-Out Burger locations in Florida?
It’s important to understand WHY In-N-Out isn’t in Florida. They determine ideal spots to open their burger joints by how far away they are from the distribution centers. Food blogger Eat This says the company rule is that restaurants must be no more than 300 miles away from a distribution center. The family that owns the company has held firm on that. They want their food to be fresh. That’s why there are no In-N-Out Burger locations in Florida. But they’re about to get closer than ever.
In-N-Out has just gotten the approvals they need to expand into Tennessee. It turns out that it’s not just restaurants they’re opening. The Nashville Business Journal reports that this summer In-N-Out closed a $36.1 million deal for land in Franklin, Tennessee. The deeds show that the land measures out to a little under 30 acres. It’ll be a lot of office space for their first east coast corporate office.
Work is expected to be finished by 2026 on that Franklin, Tennessee office space. And Franklin is also where they say they plan to build their first Tennessee restaurant location. So let’s do some math.
Why there’s hope for closer locations to Florida
If there are going to be Tennessee In-N-Out restaurant locations, that means they will need to build a new distribution center. The only 2 distribution centers I could find are in Baldwin Park, California and Dallas, Texas. That closest Texas center is over 600 miles away from Franklin, Tennessee. That means there must be a new distribution center coming if they’re staying with that 300 mile radius rule.
Georgia On My Mind
If Franklin is also where they plan to build a distribution center, that means Georgia could get In-N-Out restaurants next as they’d be well within that 300 mile radius In-N-Out requires. Atlanta is only about 250 miles away.
But beyond that, if In-N-Out is building new corporate offices in Tennessee, you have to wonder if there are more east coast operations planned in the future. It’s still wait and see for Florida In-N-Out fans, but it seems like it could happen… eventually. [Sources: Nashville Business Journal, Eat This]
