The 6 Biggest Scandals In In-N-Out History

In-N-Out is one of America's favorite burger chains. In fact, in April 2026, a YouGov study revealed that the chain actually sits in third place in its list of the most loved burger chains in the country, behind Burger King and Five Guys. Coming in the top three is no easy feat, especially considering the competition included fellow fast food giants like Wendy's and McDonald's. But still, sometimes the burger chains we love let us down, and, unfortunately for fans of the California fast food giant, In-N-Out is no exception.

Over the years, In-N-Out has seen some major controversies. We went back through the chain's history to pick out some of the biggest. From family drama to multiple animal rights investigations to discrimination lawsuits, this fast food chain has quite the checkered past. Let's take a close look at some of the biggest scandals in In-N-Out history, and we apologize in advance if some of them make you think twice about ordering that next Double Double.

Back in 1948, Harry Snyder opened the very first drive-thru hamburger stand in California. The Baldwin Park stand, which was just 100 square feet, was tiny, but it was incredibly popular. You know the rest of the story: With its innovative two-way speaker box ordering system and legendary Double Double burgers, the fast food chain evolved into one of California's most beloved fast-food spots. But lately, many Californians feel like the Snyder family have turned their backs on them. 

At the time of writing, there are just four  In-N-Out restaurants in Tennessee (opposed to nearly 300 in California), but this happens to be where Lynsi Snyder, Harry Snyder's granddaughter and president of In-n-Out, has relocated. It's also where In-N-Out will now have corporate offices as it looks to expand across the South. In 2025, Lynsi, who is a billionaire, said on the "Relatable" podcast that she felt Tennessee was more affordable than California, adding that raising a family and doing business in the state is tough. And to put it mildly, those comments did not go down well with Californians.

"There's too many good burgers in Los Angeles to go to a fast food chain like In-N-Out where the owner openly says they hate California," said one Redditor in the r/FoodLosAngeles thread. One Instagram user added on a 2025 post: "Don't sh!t on the state that made your family's business successful and you a nepo baby billionaire."

At the time of writing, there are no plant-based, fish, or chicken burgers at In-N-Out. People head to this fast-food spot for one thing and one thing only: Beef burgers. Well, fries, too, of course, but most won't leave without a beef burger in their hand. The chain claims to be meticulous about the quality of its ingredients. For example, each restaurant must be within a day's drive of a supplier, in order to keep everything as fresh as possible. Plus, its beef is always sourced from USDA-approved cattle farms. 

But in 2012, an animal rights investigation proved that these policies are not always a guarantee that everything is above board. Non-profit Compassion Over Killing released an undercover video of workers abusing cows at the In-N-Out Hanford beef supplier Central Valley Meat Company Co. The supplier, which was approved by the USDA, also sold beef to other fast-food chains, including McDonald's, Burger King, and Jack in the Box. In the video, workers are seen suffocating cows, shocking cows repeatedly with electric prods, and sending them for slaughter while still conscious.

After the video was released, In-N-Out quickly severed its relationship with Central Valley Meat Company Co. The slaughterhouse was briefly shut down for a few days, but reopened after promising to do better. The facility is still operating in 2026, but has been at the center of multiple scandals over the years, including backlash over unsafe working conditions in 2025.

It's no secret that In-N-Out tends to lean towards conservatism. There are bible verses printed on its packaging, and in 2021, it made it pretty clear that it was against vaccine mandates by refusing to enforce them in its restaurants. But one glaringly obvious example of its Republican-supporting tendencies was, of course, the donation it made to the Grand Old Party in 2018. 

In-N-Out gave $25,000 to California's GOP ahead of the November 2018 midterm elections. It wasn't actually the first donation that the chain had made to the party, either, although it did receive the most attention. In fact, In-N-Out donated $30,000 to the Republican party in 2016, and then again in 2017. That said, it has also donated significant sums to Democratic organizations, too. Even so, many decided to boycott the chain based on its $25,000 Republican donation after being urged to do so by California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman.

"I already [didn't] go to In-N-Out because of the brutally long waits, this [won't] help the cause," said one Redditor on the r/politics thread. Another added: "I've been losing weight and trying to keep it off so this news is perfect timing. Thanks In and Out." Still, some were more nonchalant about the political donations, and noted that burgers and politics shouldn't mix. "I just don't have the space in my life to focus on being mad about everything a company does," claimed another Redditor.

From McDonald's to Burger King to Taco Bell and Starbucks, the restaurant industry has seen some major lawsuits over the years. In-N-Out is no exception, although it's important to note that often, it's the fast food chain that is filing the lawsuits. In 2017, for example, it took Smashburger to court for trademark infringement, noting its Triple Double burger advertising was too similar to In-N-Out's own Double Double advertising. In 2025, it even sued a YouTuber for impersonating its CEO. But the fast food chain is not immune from being on the receiving end of a lawsuit, either.

Also in 2025, former employee Elijah Obeng sued the chain for $3 million over racial discrimination. According to Obeng, he had been unfairly victimized by In-N-Out's dress code, which requires employees to tuck their hair under a cap and be clean shaven. Obeng, who is Black, maintains that his sideburns and hair are important for his cultural identity, and notes that he was humiliated after refusing to shave. He also claims he was unfairly penalized at work because of his refusal. According to Obeng's lawsuit, which he was ordered to arbitrate in 2026, In-N-Out's actions were a violation of the CROWN Act. California is one of 30 states with protection under CROWN, which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.

The 2012 investigation wasn't the first time that In-N-Out had been caught out by an animal rights-related scandal. Four years prior, in 2008, the fast food chain was also impacted by another major investigation concerning animal abuse at the Chino-based supplier, the Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. This time, the investigation not only prompted outrage over animal rights issues (cows were shown being rammed by forklifts and dragged by chains), but also potential food safety problems. Sick cows (known as downer cows) were being sent to slaughter, which increases the risk of foodborne diseases like E.coli and Salmonella. 

As a result of the investigation, 143 million pounds of beef were pulled from the market (around 37 million pounds of which had been to the school system). Along with Jack in the Box, In-N-Out had worked with Westland/Hallmark Meat Co to source its beef, but immediately cut ties after the investigation was revealed. In 2012, a symbolic settlement of $150 million was reached with the meat supplier, but it couldn't actually pay the fees due to bankruptcy.

After Harry Snyder died in 1976, the running of the growing In-N-Out chain, which then stood at 18 locations, was left to his two sons, Richard and Guy, and his wife, Esther. Both Richard and Guy died in the 1990s, leaving Esther to run the show alongside company director Richard Boyd and vice president of operations, Mark Taylor. In the mid-2000s, things got ugly, when Lynsi (Guy's daughter and Snyder's only grandchild) tried to take over from Esther, her grandmother, at just 23-years-old in an alleged coup. Well, that's according to Boyd, anyway, who filed multiple lawsuits in an attempt to stop her. The truth is Lynsi was always supposed to take over; she was set to inherit the company in three lots of shares, bequeathed to her in three installments on her 25th, 30th, and 35th birthdays. 

But wait, it gets even messier. Also in 2006, Boyd was accused of fraud and embezzlement, allegedly using company money for work on his own home. He denied the claims, seeing the lawsuit as a tactic to get him out in a bid to make room for Lynsi to take over. In the end, everything was settled out of court, and Esther also died in 2006, leaving Lynsi to inherit the In-N-Out empire anyway. It almost sounds like a soap opera, or the plot of a "Succession" spin-off, but truly, this all happened. Esther even allegedly told Boyd that she felt Lynsi and her team wanted her dead.