Gov. Ron DeSantis encouraged In-N-Out Burger earlier this month to do some business in Florida after the fast-food company sparred with Northern California health officials over COVID-19 vaccination policies.
In-N-Out President Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson, however, didn’t bite after speaking with the governor by telephone.
The company decided to close several of its Contra Costa County restaurants to in-person dining after the county’s health department cited the restaurants for not following the county’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Company employees were accused of seating customers without requiring that they show the proper vaccine documentation or proof of a COVID-19 test.
In-N-Out’s chief legal and business officer, Arnie Wensinger, said the company objected to the government agency turning private employees into vaccination police.
But despite the company being charged fines in Northern California, California-based In-N-Out indicated it had no plans to expand into Florida or move its headquarters to the Sunshine State.
“The (Nov. 8) phone call was at the request of Gov. DeSantis, and the primary purpose was to establish a business relationship,” Wensinger said in an email to the Florida Record this week. “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.”
DeSantis is one of the most vocal opponents to vaccine mandates and mask mandates, be they at the local, state or federal level, and the state has filed federal lawsuits to overturn the Biden administration’s coronavirus vaccine mandate.
Florida state officials, however, don’t seem to have given up on giving Floridians access to In-N-Out burgers. In a Nov. 10 Twitter post, the state’s chief financial officer, Jimmy Patronis, said millions of state residents are hungry for the popular burger.
“We’ve got millions of residents who are hungry for (In-N-Out Burger), so I plan on keeping at it,” Patronis said. “After all, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Floridians love this business, and they’re enthusiastic about it.”