The In-N-Out burgers seem to be packed every day and guests want a very limited (although popular) burger.
As of March 2025, IN-N-OUT has 418 locations in the United States. Most are in California and the West Coast, but the company has also started venturing to Texas.
Unfortunately, Annie Goodykoontz of the Los Angeles Times is a former employee’s In-N-ut was sued for $3.2 million due to his hairstyle.
“According to an application filed by the Los Angeles County Superior Court, a former employee sued In-N-Out Burger for at least $3 million on alleged racial discrimination,” the report said.
Elijah Obeng, 21, a black man, said he suffered severe emotional distress after he was unfairly targeted by the burger chain’s clothing demands. Dressing requirements require their employees to wear company-issued hats and wear their hair, while male employees must shaved cleanly. ”
Obeng has worked at the Compton In-N-Out store for nearly four years and the report says the company’s hairstyle and his sideburn are another exception, and was even sent home in May 2024 to shave his sideburns.
According to Obeng’s lawsuit, the company violates respect for natural hair and an open workplace (Crown Act), which prohibits employers from discriminating against employees based on their hairstyle and hair texture. According to the lawsuit, the former employee’s experience has left him “anxious, humiliating and loss of dignity.”
In addition, In-N-Out responded, saying it was due to previous writing, but Obeng believed it was a discriminatory act that led him to resist dress code policies.
Financially, a $3.2 million lawsuit is a minority compared to the $2 billion a year the company brings, but handling the lawsuit could raise negative attention to the famous Hamburger United.
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In-N-Out Burger sued $3.2 million for the first time on June 20, 2025
