In-N-Out wants to remain 'unique' in the West

An order is seen during the grand opening Thursday Nov. 20, 2014 of San Antonio's first In-N-Out Burger. The store, located on Culebra just outside Loop 1604, opened at 9 a.m. because of the large crowds of people already in line for the store's normal 10 a.m. opening. less An order is seen during the grand opening Thursday Nov. 20, 2014 of San Antonio's first In-N-Out Burger. The store, located on Culebra just outside Loop 1604, opened at 9 a.m. because of the large crowds of ... more Photo: William Luther, San Antonio Express-News Photo: William Luther, San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 37 Caption Close In-N-Out wants to remain 'unique' in the West 1 / 37 Back to Gallery

In-N-Out has no plans to expand its popular burger chain any farther east than Texas.

In an interview with Forbes magazine, the Southern California company's president Lynsi Snyder talked about how she'd like to keep the brand "unique" to the West.

"I don't see us stretched across the whole U.S. I don't see us in every state," Snyder said. "Take Texas — draw a line up and just stick to the left. That's in my lifetime," Snyder says. "I like that we're sought after when someone's coming into town. I like that we're unique. That we're not on every corner. You put us in every state and it takes away some of its luster."

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In-N-Out was founded in Baldwin Park, Calif., in 1948 by Lynsi's grandparents, Harry Snyder and Esther Snyder, and slowly expanded into other Southern California locations. Later, they moved into Northern California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Texas and Oregon.

Fans of the chain have long begged for locations in the Midwest and on the East Coast, but the company has always said quality is more important than quantity. The restaurants focus on a small menu of burgers, shakes and fries and serve all food fresh without using any heat lamps, freezers or microwaves.

In addition, In-N-Out doesn't franchise and Snyder has expressed that she would never take the company public even though it would expedite expansion and likely make the company more money.

Snyder's "goals are not for us to be the biggest," executive vice president Bob Lang, a 45-year In-N-Out veteran, told Forbes. "Really, it's about maintaining the legacy of her family and a family environment."