Dear In-N-Out Burger: I really like the palm trees! I'm still concerned, though. When did you plant the ones at your new Lebanon Tenn. location? What kind are they?

Most of Tennessee gets too cold in winter for cabbage palmettos (scientifically Sabal palmetto) and Chinese windmill palms (scientifically Trachycarpus fortunei). If it gets below about 10 degrees Fahrenheit on a regular basis, they'll die after a few years. Nonetheless, Birmingham palmettos (scientifically Sabal 'Birmingham') look very similar to cabbage palmettos and are reliably cold-hardy to about 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Brazoria palmettos (scientifically Sabal brazoriensis) are even reliably cold-hardy to about 0. They grow more slowly, but it's worth the patience if it means a lifespan of decades instead of years. If you can make the x-shape work with smaller palms, needle palm (scientifically Rhapidophyllum) is even reliably cold-hardy down to about -5 degrees Fahrenheit below zero and has been known to recover from occasional events in the negative teens or even twenties in places like Knoxville with normally favorable climates. Mine survived -13 in 2024 with surprisingly mild leaf spotting! Needle palms are super shade tolerant, but you can prune the lower leaves as they grow like many people do their southern magnolias, exposing the trunk.

Furthermore, Memphis has imposed repressive local ordinances based on misconceptions about foreign Chinese windmill palms being the most cold-hardy and poor experiences there, either not knowing or not caring that native needle palms and dwarf palmettos (scientifically Sabal minor) have thrived in Knoxville which is colder and that myth was debunked.  Furthermore, there are seemingly-wild dwarf palmettos along Church Street and Parker Street in Hornsby Tenn. that survived the cold of January 2024.

I'm worried about more failed experiences leading to a spread of unjust local ordinances damaging the mental health of those of us with seasonal depression - which is worse when deciduous trees and shrubs are dormant. Planting evergreen ones, including the few palm species truly adapted to our climate, is helpful. In fact, even as a Democrat personally, I was initially hesitant to commit to supporting Jerri Green for Governor of Tennessee even in the general election unless she meaningfully distanced herself from those repressive policies in Memphis, although she has since made statements in a TikTok live I engaged her with and had enough experience living in Nashville and Knoxville that most of my concern has faded and I think she can be reasoned with. I know Governors in Tennessee are legislatively powerless, but I still don't want a de facto leader of the state Democratic Party to further steer us onto the wrong track. Similarly, I strongly encourage you to please be responsible about what types of palms you plant in Tennessee, even if they're slower-growing and harder to come by; it'll pay off. You'll spend less money too than if you have to replace dying palms.

Last but not least, I strongly encourage you to plant your palms in April in Tennessee, maybe late March in places like Memphis and Chattanooga that have their last frost early. They need nearly an entire growing season to establish. I planted Birmingham palmettos in May 2021 on a ridge near Buffalo Valley, and they didn't make it through the subsequent winter with too little time to establish. On the other hand, my needle palm planted in April 2019 is still alive and well and faced no issues whatsoever in its first winter.

Please sign and share this petition! It's now or never; In-N-Out is already building new locations in Tennessee, so we must act fast. Sorry if it's too long to read! I at least saved the relevant links for the end.

P.S.: As soon as possible, I strongly encourage you to also message customer service on In-N-Out's website to get the word to them. I already tried to do that but want the message loud and clear. I couldn't because when I tried to search the new Lebanon location on their website, it wasn't showing yet, and just putting in the 37090 ZIP code led to an error message that wouldn't let me send feedback. https://www.in-n-out.com/contact/compliments

The article about Memphis palms dying/being restricted. This article is behind a paywall, sorry, but I swear I read it years ago when it was free! https://dailymemphian.com/article/393/Memphis-BBQ-chain-Tops-to-yank-out-dead-palm-trees

The article about Knoxville palms. https://palms.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/v18n1p25-30.pdf?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExVkgyQlBmSUh5OEFuSlloYgEe1EFW9QmUvcVw0sqIe2n9DuhYuXMlxO67qfbUOU6HsNNzX44gHJiqQlODLJ0_aem_iret4rDzioZMJEdFwtDWHA

Google street view of some dwarf palmettos along Parker Street in Hornsby. https://www.google.com/maps/@35.2266635,-88.8294058,3a,75y,262.21h,81.16t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sCTymCXuR6NvFcfGXpomafQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D8.8412079726521%26panoid%3DCTymCXuR6NvFcfGXpomafQ%26yaw%3D262.20656286204405!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDgxOS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Google street view of some dwarf palmettos along Church Street in Hornsby. https://www.google.com/maps/@35.2265929,-88.8305613,3a,17.9y,122.72h,82.88t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s711G0EIOePB7wJlEzEbYxQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D7.115710429191111%26panoid%3D711G0EIOePB7wJlEzEbYxQ%26yaw%3D122.72295131554907!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDgxOS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D