I never could have guessed that a photo I took outside a fast-food restaurant seven years ago would become a prime example of fake news circulating online.

Fake news wasn't even part of the political lexicon when I took this picture May 11, 2011, outside the new In-N-Out Burger on Preston Road in Frisco.

The crowd at the opening of In-N-Out Burger in Frisco on May 11, 2011. (Staff Photographer / Valerie Wigglesworth)

It was the fast-food chain's first foray into Texas, and I was on assignment for The Dallas Morning News documenting the latest business opening in one of America's fastest-growing cities. My photo showed the enormous crowd.

I've written hundreds of stories since then, but I still remember the In-N-Out assignment well. Not only did I learn the restaurant's theme song — see my 2011 video here — but I also witnessed true bliss.

Danielle DeInnocentes of The Colony waited in line for 14 hours for a double-double burger, and her first bites brought tears to her eyes. She said the food reminded her of growing up in California. Vernon Bryant, one of the The News' talented photographers, captured that moment.

Danielle DeInnocentes of The Colony turns emotional as she eats her burger during the opening at In-N-Out Burger in Frisco on May 11, 2011. (Vernon Bryant / Staff Photographer)

On Tuesday I got a fresh reminder of the story when I found a notification in my Twitter feed with a link to a Reddit forum called The_Donald — "a never-ending rally dedicated to the 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump."

I clicked the link and saw my 2011 crowd photo accompanying a 3-day-old post from a user named specklesinc that states: "IN-N-OUT BURGER Tonight producing record sales tonight as Democrats are boycotting the business after it donated 25k in funds to the REPUBLICAN PARTY."

California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman initially called for a boycott on Twitter last week after learning about the fast-food chain's GOP donation. His post stated in part, "let Trump and his cronies support these creeps... perhaps animal style!"

Bauman apparently didn't take his tweet all that seriously. On Monday, he told The Sacramento Bee, "There is no boycott." But his tweet took on a life of its own, engaging nearly a million people and generating a number of small donations for Democrats, according to The Bee.

Now my photo has also taken on a life of its own. A Google image search shows that several other people picked up the picture to make a point. One site even credited the photo to someone else.

My favorite, though, comes from a site called truthfeednews.com. It uses my photo above a headline that states: "Democrats Tried to Boycott In-N-Out Burger, But These Photos Show It Was an Absolute FAILURE."

My photo shows only that people were excited, remarkably patient and hungry for a meal.