New Yorkers got hit with a major case of fake news on Facebook. But instead of political intrigue, this false information involved food.
According to Vice, 40,000 people RSVP'd to a supposed In-N-Out Burger pop-up only to find out that the West Coast burger chain wasn't planning on hosting any event at all.
A group called NYC Popups created the Facebook event, stating that it would run from October 27 through 29 and be in NYC's Soho neighborhood. In addition to In-N-Out, the page promised free T-shirts and hats, musical entertainment, and even art. Sadly, those 40,000 people had their hopes dashed when In-N-Out officially shot down the announcement.
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"We hope that no one is inconvenienced by this apparent prank," Denny Warnick, vice president of operations at In-N-Out said in a statement. Apparently, the phone lines at In-N-Out HQ were ringing constantly, too. Vice adds that when it contacted the brand on Monday, the representative on the phone said that she had been dealing with the faux announcement all day.
The fact that the event page hasn't been updated since Monday is clear evidence that it was just a cruel joke. But finding out that animal fries and In-N-Out's famed Double Doubles would still be a continent away (or half a continent, since the chain has expanded to Texas) broke foodie hearts across the five boroughs.
There is precedent for In-N-Out pop-ups, however, lending some credence to the idea of a New York edition. Vancouver, Sydney, Zurich, and London have all played host to the SoCal standby in the past. Unfortunately for anyone in the Tri-state Area, In-N-Out confirmed that it's not planning anything in New York City.
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