BEND — A large sign alongside U.S. Highway 97, hung on a chain-link fence Tuesday next to Kohl’s, proclaimed that In-N-Out Burger would be “here soon” in Bend. But an executive with the wildly popular California burger chain said the sign was fake, and In-N-Out has no current plans to open a Bend location.

“Unfortunately, the sign must have been placed there by a prankster, or someone suggesting that we will soon be opening a restaurant in Bend,” wrote Carl Arena, In-N-Out’s vice president of real estate and development, in an email to the Bend Bulletin on Tuesday. “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.”

Phyllis Cudworth, a marketing coordinator with the fast-food chain, said in a phone interview that sometimes people take In-N-Out’s signs from legitimate construction sites and hang them up in other locations.

Arena wrote that although there are no current plans to build a location in Bend, In-N-Out has its eye on Central Oregon for future development — maybe.

“We do believe that Bend is a great area 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,” he wrote.