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MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Hoping to get in and out of In-N-Out Burger quickly? There’s an app for that.

The arrival of the beloved California burger chain in Tennessee has sparked such intense demand that fans have turned to technology to manage the hours-long lines.

How ‘The Wait App’ tracks massive burger lines

What we know:

Tennessee’s first three In-N-Out locations—situated in Lebanon, Antioch, and Murfreesboro—opened their doors in mid-December to massive crowds. 

To combat the resulting congestion, a web-based tool called Thewaitapp.com was launched to provide real-time data on how long it takes to order both inside the restaurant and at the drive-thru, WSMV reports.

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The app relies entirely on crowdsourcing, meaning users visiting the restaurants input their own wait times to keep the data current for others.

Timeline of In-N-Out’s Tennessee expansion

Timeline:

In-N-Out’s rapid expansion into the Midstate occurred over the course of a single week in December 2025:

December 10: The first two Tennessee locations officially opened in Lebanon and Nashville’s Antioch neighborhood, drawing immediate, multi-hour lines.

December 12: A third location opened in Murfreesboro, further expanding the brand’s footprint in the region.

Mid-December: “The Wait App” launched shortly after the initial openings to help customers find the shortest lines among the trio of restaurants.

The In-N-Out effect

Why you should care:

For Tennessee residents, the arrival of the California-based chain is a significant cultural and economic event, but it has also created localized traffic issues. 

The launch of a third-party app highlights the “In-N-Out effect,” where brand loyalty is high enough to drive secondary technological solutions. 

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For the casual diner, using the app can mean the difference between a quick meal and a three-hour commitment, as it even provides a “confidence level” for the accuracy of the reported times.

The backstory:

In-N-Out heiress and CEO Lynsi Snyder announced in 2023 that In-N-Out planned to open future restaurants in Tennessee in addition to an Eastern territory administrative office in the city of Franklin.

Earlier this year, Snyder revealed she and her family were relocating to Tennessee. 

“There’s a lot of great things about California, but raising a family is not easy here,” she said on an episode of the podcast Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey. “Doing business is not easy here now.”

Snyder said the majority of In-N-Out restaurants would still be in California.

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“Moving into Tennessee provides our In-N-Out Associates wonderful opportunities to buy a home and raise a family and be a part of our expansion in a different part of the U.S.,” she said in a separate video clarifying her statements made on the podcast.

“It’s tough here in California, and this doesn’t have to do with my love or loyalty to the state and our customers,” she said. “But I love our associates and I [want to] offer them this.”

Big picture view:

In-N-Out was founded by Harry and Esther Snyder in Baldwin Park in 1948 as California’s first drive-thru hamburger stand. 

The chain expanded to locations across the Golden State and in 1992, it opened its first restaurant outside California in Nevada.

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In-N-Out currently operates more than 400 locations across California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Colorado, Idaho, and Tennessee.

Future of the franchise

What’s next:

While the initial “grand opening craze” has settled slightly, wait times are expected to remain high through the holiday season. The success of the Tennessee wait-tracking tool may set a precedent for future In-N-Out expansions into new territories. 

This story was reported from Los Angeles.