The hopes for a new fast-food franchise are In-N-Out the door for residents of Bend, Ore.

When a sign for the burger chain appeared at a commercial site, locals thought they were getting their first In-N-Out. Unfortunately, it seems like the sign was either a prank or a mistake.

The sign appeared on a chain-link fence near a Kohl’s by U.S. Highway 97, the Bend Bulletin reports. The sign read, “Here soon,” followed by the In-N-Out logo, which led some residents to believe that the chain planned on opening a location in the area.

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In a statement obtained by Fox News, Carl Arena, In-N-Out's vice president of real estate and development, said, "Unfortunately, the sign must have been placed there by a prankster, or someone suggesting that we will soon be opening a restaurant in Bend. Our Real Estate team is always evaluating new sites, and we continue to look at opportunities in Oregon, however, we have not yet looked at any sites in Bend.

"We do believe that Bend is a great area – the statement continued – and we do hope to be there in the future, but we are unable to speculate when or even if we will open a restaurant there. I’m sorry I can’t provide any more specifics but right now it would just be premature speculation and I’d hate to make an incorrect guess and wind up misleading your readers."

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This isn’t the first time a mysterious item from the West Coast fast-food chain has caused confusion.

In late July, a New York City resident discovered a perfectly wrapped and seemingly freshly cooked In-N-Out burger sitting on the street in Queens. There are no In-N-Outs anywhere near New York City. When a photo of the burger went viral, however, it turned out that it had a reasonable explanation.

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Apparently, a 16-year-old girl had bought the burger before flying back from California earlier that day and dropped it on her way to the bus. As to the burger’s apparent freshness, she claimed that she had asked for some of the toppings on the side.