Normally private In-n-out heiress had call with Ron Desantis after Bay Area spat
Lynsi Snyder-ellingson, the famously private owner of In-n-out Burger, had a call with Florida Gov. Ron Desantis this week after the company’s high-profile spat with Bay Area health departments over proof-of-vaccination requirements.
Snyder-ellingson is the only grandchild of In-n-out founders Harry and Esther Snyder. In part due to a series of family tragedies, she became president of the company in 2010 at just 28 years old and sole owner when she turned 35. Her uncle, Richard Snyder, died in a plane crash in 1993 and her father, H. Guy Snyder, died of an accidental drug overdose in 1999. Snyder-ellingson rarely makes public appearances or statements.
Desantis press secretary Christina Pushaw said that Snyder-ellingson and the governor had a “productive conversation” on Monday about In-n-out possibly expanding to Florida. Desantis, whose hands-off approach to the pandemic has made him a serious 2024 presidential candidate, is one of the country’s most visible proof-of-vaccination opponents. Florida law currently bars companies or government entities from requiring proof of vaccination from customers.
“Vaccination should be a personal choice to protect oneself from serious illness, not a mandatory condition of participating in society,” Pushaw wrote in an email. “There is no reason for a fast food restaurant to be forced to require proof of vaccination from customers.”
In-n-out entered the national discourse over COVID-19 policy when a company executive said the chain will “refuse to become the vaccination police for any government” and locations in San Francisco and Contra Costa counties suspended indoor dining. San Francisco and Contra Costa are the only two
Bay Area counties currently requiring businesses to screen customers for proof of vaccination for indoor dining, and an identical policy took effect this week in Los Angeles County, California’s most populous county.
Pushaw said one possible barrier to expansion that came up on the call was the fact that the suppliers of all of IN-NOut’s ingredients are based on the West Coast. There are no In-n-outs farther east than Texas.
“Florida also has some of the best farms and cattle ranches in the country, and the governor discussed this with the president of In-n-out,” Pushaw wrote. “If they can identify suppliers for all their ingredients here, which we believe is possible, In-nout could expand to Florida. Governor Desantis is willing to help with this and would welcome this great company to Florida, the best state to do business.”
Desantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom have taken repeated swipes at one another over their contrasting approaches to the pandemic and the health of respective state economies. Newsom concluded his remarks at a Tuesday economic summit with, “Eat your your heart out, Texas, and especially, Florida.”