Case File · Franklin, Tennessee · 2023–2026
Governor at the announcement. Three years later, the doors are open.
In-N-Out chose Franklin, Tennessee for its eastern territory HQ and first Tennessee restaurant in a January 10, 2023 announcement with Governor Bill Lee. The $125.5 million commitment promised 277 jobs and a 100,000-square-foot office. The restaurant opened February 25, 2026 at 1951 Double Double Drive.
The structural advantage: siting inside the Goose Creek Bypass PUD — a pre-entitled mixed-use district where the approval path is site plan, not rezoning. State endorsement at the top. Pre-entitled ground at the bottom. No contested hearings in between.
Location
1951 Double Double Dr
Franklin, TN — Goose Creek PUD
HQ Office
100,000 sq ft
Eastern Territory HQ
Jobs Committed
277
Williamson County
Restaurant Open
Feb 25, 2026
First TN location
RealClear Analysis
How state endorsement + pre-entitled ground compresses the approval calendar.
Franklin In-N-Out is the clean version of what every chain wants: a major announcement event with state officials, a pre-entitled PUD for the ground, and a predictable site-plan review path.
State ECD announcement sets the political frame
When a governor and the state ECD commissioner personally announce a project with the company owner, the municipal process is politically pre-disposed toward approval. Opposition has to clear a much higher bar to be credible when the state is on record supporting the project.
PUD siting converts rezoning into site plan
The Goose Creek Bypass PUD was already approved with mixed-use and commercial allowances. Siting the HQ and restaurant inside the PUD meant the entitlement question was site plan compliance — not a rezoning fight. That single structural choice explains the absence of contested hearings.
Owner-led announcements predict execution
Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson personally announcing the expansion commits In-N-Out at an unusual level for a privately held chain. Private-owner announcements materially de-risk the schedule — because the chain's highest executive has publicly committed to delivery.
Site Analysis
In-N-Out — Berry Farms / Goose Creek PUD
Franklin, TN — 1951 Double Double Drive
Why This Cleared Cleanly
- Announcement backed by Governor Lee and Commissioner McWhorter
- $125.5M investment, 277 jobs — major state economic-development win
- 100,000 sq ft eastern territory office + 4,000 sq ft first Tennessee restaurant
- Site inside the Goose Creek Bypass PUD — pre-entitled mixed-use district
- First restaurant opened February 25, 2026 at 1951 Double Double Drive
State Announcement
Governor Lee, Jan 10 2023
STATE-LEVEL SUPPORTOffice Size
100,000 sq ft
EASTERN TERRITORY HQFirst Restaurant
Opened Feb 25, 2026
4,000 SQ FTInvestment / Jobs
$125.5M / 277 jobs
TN ECD COMMITMENTCase Timeline · 2023–2026
Announcement to first burger: three years, one month.
January 2023 announcement. September 2024 HQ groundbreaking. February 2026 first restaurant. The calendar shows what pre-entitled ground plus state endorsement actually buys.
January 10, 2023
Governor Lee and In-N-Out announce Tennessee expansion
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Commissioner of Economic & Community Development Stuart McWhorter announce jointly with In-N-Out Owner Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson that In-N-Out will establish its eastern territory office in Franklin, Tennessee. The announcement commits to a $125.5 million investment, 277 new Williamson County jobs, a 100,000-square-foot eastern territory office, and future restaurants in the Nashville area. Governor Lee's quoted statement: 'Tennessee's unmatched business climate, skilled workforce and central location make our state ideal.' Mayor of Franklin Ken Moore: 'We look forward to welcoming them to our community and celebrating their continued success.'
2023–2024
Site selection within the Goose Creek Bypass PUD
In-N-Out and its development team identify Berry Farms, inside Franklin's Goose Creek Bypass PUD, as the site for both the eastern HQ and the first Tennessee restaurant. The Goose Creek Bypass PUD is a pre-entitled mixed-use district — which converts the restaurant and office siting from a rezoning question into a site-plan-review question.
September 2024
In-N-Out Franklin HQ breaks ground
Construction on the 100,000-square-foot eastern territory office breaks ground in September 2024. Williamson Source and other regional outlets cover the milestone. The office is framed as the company's first corporate hub east of Texas — the operational foundation for the entire east-of-the-Mississippi expansion plan.
2024
First Tennessee restaurant site-plan approval (Berry Farms)
The City of Franklin's 2024 Development Report lists site-plan approval for the 4,000-square-foot In-N-Out restaurant at the Berry Farms parcel inside the Goose Creek Bypass PUD. The PUD context means the approval is a site-plan-level review, not a CUP or rezoning.
February 25, 2026
First Tennessee In-N-Out opens at 1951 Double Double Drive
The first Tennessee In-N-Out opens at 1951 Double Double Drive in Franklin — a street name that makes the company's presence explicit in the local address grid. The opening completes the restaurant portion of the 2023 announcement. The eastern territory office is the ongoing HQ build, completing under construction for 2026.
Key Officials
Who endorsed the project. And why it mattered.
Governor Bill Lee
Governor of Tennessee
State of Tennessee — January 10, 2023 Announcement
Documented Record
Announced the In-N-Out expansion jointly with the company on January 10, 2023 and stated: 'Tennessee's unmatched business climate, skilled workforce and central location make our state ideal.'
Gubernatorial endorsement at announcement is a substantial political signal. For any municipal body considering site-plan detail, the politics are set — the state has endorsed the project. The Goose Creek PUD process proceeded without organized opposition to the underlying land use.
Commissioner Stuart McWhorter
Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development
State Executive — January 2023
Documented Record
Stated at the January 10, 2023 announcement: 'We welcome its growth to Tennessee and appreciate Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson and her team for selecting Franklin.'
The state ECD commissioner's role is to close site-selection deals with named executives. McWhorter's direct naming of Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson signals the state ran point on the deal and views it as one of its higher-profile 2023 recruitments — which is consistent with the $125.5M and 277 jobs figure.
Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson
Owner, In-N-Out Burger
California Corporate — Tennessee Announcement
Documented Record
Announced at the January 10, 2023 event: 'We are very excited to provide Tennesseans with our quality burgers, fries and shakes beginning in Nashville.'
Owner-led announcement is the strongest commitment signal a chain can give. In-N-Out is privately held and historically deliberate about expansion — Snyder-Ellingson's personal announcement commits the company in a way that routine regional-executive announcements do not.
Mayor Ken Moore
Mayor, City of Franklin
Franklin Municipal Executive
Documented Record
At the January 10, 2023 announcement stated: 'We look forward to welcoming them to our community and celebrating their continued success.'
Mayor Moore's support at announcement told the Franklin planning, zoning, and public-works apparatus to move quickly. On a pre-entitled PUD site with mayoral support and state endorsement, the site-plan review is an administrative exercise — not a contested hearing.
RealClear
Pair state ECD relationships with pre-entitled PUDs before you announce.
RealClear maps the jurisdictions where state-level economic development endorsement meets pre-entitled mixed-use PUD capacity — the combination that compresses multi-year entitlement timelines into site-plan review.
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