How to Order Secret Fast Food Menu Items (Without Being an Asshole)
The dream of every fast food employee: customers come and ask for delicious dishes that are not on the generally accepted plebeian menu.
The #HackTheMenu website is gaining new attention this week as a self-proclaimed one-stop resource for finding so-called “secret menus” from all of your favorite fast food chains. #HackTheMenu is not a new website; We talked about the secret menu back in 2014, but the recent buzz is driven by cutting-edge digital journalism: the viral TikTok .
To be clear, we are not against hacking the menu. We’ve highlighted our favorite secret menu items over the years, from Big Mac for the Poor at McDonald’s to Chipotle Quesarito . But before we dive into the other best secret menu items, let’s take a look at what secret menus are and how you can order from them without being a complete jerk for fast food employees.
What’s the secret fast food menu?
First, what the menu secret is not : The Confidential Resource is full of forbidden knowledge that sets you apart from the rest of the sucker that eats away the boring, Normie menu and launches your career as a food influencer blog.
What is the secret menu: A list of unofficial combinations of ingredients that are not on the menu, but that can technically be prepared for you by the restaurant. # HackTheMenu explains that “while some of the secret menu items were created by the restaurants themselves, most of the secret dishes were invented by customers and passed on by word of mouth.” This means there’s a good chance the person taking your order isn’t trained to understand what the hell you’re talking about (more on that soon).
Secret menu items range from simple modifications to the techniques that are better not to name . For example, as Christine Salaki notes in Delish, “If a restaurant has buffalo sauce and chicken , the people working there can probably make you a buffalo chicken sandwich.” On the other hand, if you walk up to Starbucks and ask for “Birthday Frappuccino” off the menu, you can’t expect your barista to know that you expect them to add birthday cake to your drink.
How not to be an asshole
Our main problem with secret menus is illustrated in viral TikTok, when creator Mattie McTech describes these menu tricks as “items you don’t want you to know about.”
Let’s think about it. Who “they” are we talking about here? “They” – a big corporation that you are pulling into? Or “they”, perhaps the minimum wage employees who have only worked at this Burger King for two weeks and have no idea what ” Suicide Burger ” is, but know that you are delaying the line for a number of customers who are about to vent their frustration when will they finally get to order?
If you’re going to use these menu tricks, don’t call them any name that a random customer has submitted to #HackTheMenu. Make sure you know exactly what you are asking for so you can explain the specific changes to the person taking your order. Otherwise, you risk looking stupid at best and pissed off at worst.
Like #HackTheMenu
#HackTheMenu “is dedicated to providing you with detailed information, recipes and prices for the most exciting and delicious secret menu items available at all your favorite fast food restaurants.” Click on the restaurant logo for any of 20 popular fast food chains that include big names like McDonald’s, Starbucks and Chipotle, browse secret menus and click on specific items to see details like available locations, final price, and description how to actually order the product.
Once again: Pay less attention to the invented names of these items, and instead focus on the extra steps and ingredients that you ask the real person to put together for you. And maybe don’t do it in a huge rush.
What’s the best thing about secret menus?
Now that you know how to avoid being an asshole, here are our favorite menu tips:
- Double Wrapped Burrito at Chipotle: For the enlightened people who know that a warm tortilla is the best part of a burrito. When asked to place an order for the first time, have two tortilla shells reheat together.
- The Incredible Hulk at Taco Bell: Essentially a lighter five-layer burrito is required. Order guacamole instead of your regular nacho cheese sauce, shave off the extra six-inch tortilla shell and sour cream, then fresco.
- McCrepe at McDonald’s: just order hotcakes and yoghurt parfait. Add yogurt parfait to a folded hot pie for a delicious McCrep breakfast.
- Burritodilla in Chipotle: A smaller variation of the Chipotle Quesarito that allows the consumer to eat without the jumble of a giant burrito. Have the burrito cook like a quesadilla. Be sure to ask for half of the filling so that it doesn’t overflow.
- Creamy Beer Frappuccino at Starbucks: Order a Vanilla Bean Cream Frappuccino (best made with whole milk for best consistency). Add three servings for each butterscotch syrup and caramel syrup. Top with whipped cream and drizzle with caramel.
- The Not-So-Secret Animal Style Burger in In-N-Out: I’ve never been to this California idol, and even I know about Animal Style hamburgers. Good news: since the secret has been revealed, you can order Animal Style directly. Bad news: You must be in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, or Oregon.