On April Fool's Day this year, Angelenos enjoyed a laugh at New York's expense over a prank promising the expansion of In-N-Out to Manhattan.
College Humor took credit for the gag, and New Yorkers were left disappointed and hungry.
This week, similar reports surfaced that In-N-Out was finally moving east.
However this time, it's not a prank.
Texas will be the fifth state in the exclusive In-N-Out club, D Magazine reported. Currently, the fast food chain only operates in California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah.
In a 7-1 vote, a planning commission approved the first location for Garland, Texas.
For many years, the chain has limited expansion over quality control concerns, the Orange County Register reported:
Business
The latest business news.
In 2006, In-N-Out told the Register it would not consider spreading stores beyond 500 miles of its commissary because it would require the chain to open a second hub or have longer cycles between delivery runs, all of which would reduce quality control.
The company has changed its stance, and is ready to expand, according to the Register's Fast Food Maven blog.
Van Fleet, vice president of planning and development at In-N-Out, said the 1,500-mile move to Texas will force the chain to build a “new patty production facility and distribution center.”
"It is far enough away that we will have to open a new one there as we remain committed to making our own hamburger patties and maintaining the same operating philosophies and standards that have been in place for 62 years," he said. "We'll have a Dallas area facility to produce patties locally and provide support for our restaurants there."
No official timeline has been announced for the expansion.
