Could In-N-Out Burger come to Florida? DeSantis has ‘productive’ phone call, but chain says not so fast

Is it time for In-N-Out Burger, the iconic West Coast fast-food chain currently embroiled in a dispute with San Francisco officials over COVID regulations, to open locations in Florida?

Gov. Ron DeSantis had a “productive” phone conversation with In-N-Out’s president, Lynsi Snyder-Ellington, on Monday, according to news reports.

“As you may have heard, In-n-Out has closed a couple of locations in California due to vaccine passport requirements,” said DeSantis’ spokeswoman Christine Pushaw in an email to News 6 Orlando.

“This is what prompted the discussion about opening locations in Florida.”

The company said it has no plans to move its headquarters to the Sunshine State.

“The phone call was at the request of Gov. DeSantis and the primary purpose was to establish a business relationship. During that call, Gov. DeSantis graciously invited In-N-Out Burger to do business in the state of Florida. 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,” In-N-Out Burger Chief Legal and Business Officer Arnie Wensinger said in a statement.

DeSantis, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis and other prominent conservatives have seized upon In-N-Out’s California dispute, using it as an opportunity to continue their long-running message that, in contrast to other states, Florida is a beacon of business-friendly freedom during the pandemic.

In their view, COVID regulations and mandates are burdensome job killers.

For its part, In-N-Out adamantly refused to have its employees ask customers to show proof of vaccination before serving them. San Francisco responded by shutting down some In-N-Out locations.

“We refuse to become the vaccination police for any government,” Wensinger told Fox News.

“[DeSantis] would welcome this great company to Florida, the best state to do business, where freedom has a home,” Pushaw told News 6 Orlando.

But could In-N-Out, known for its loyal following on the West Coast, open locations on this coast?

Pushaw told News 6 that the biggest obstacle to a potential In-N-Out expansion to Florida is logistical. All of the chain’s suppliers are in the western United States.

DeSantis told Snyder-Ellington that Florida has all the necessary pieces in place, including high quality cattle farms, to meet In-N-Out’s needs, and that he would be “willing to help” the fast-food chain find suppliers to be able to do business in Florida, Pushaw reportedly said.