Secret Menus Have Existed Since The '60s

In theory, the idea of a secret menu is that it's word-of-mouth only. The problem is that a secret menu is only good for business if everybody knows the secret. Despite that paradox, every chain restaurant seems to have a secret menu: In-N-Out Burger's simple menu famously has its animal-style offerings; Jamba Juice has plenty of more sugary drinks you can order by name; and even Starbucks, Wendy's, and Taco Bell have secret menu items you'll wish you knew about sooner. It's become such a widely known fast food trend that Reddit has grown absolutely sick of it. Is it a trend, though?

Secret menus do predate the internet — they were just better-kept secrets back then. The modern secret menu, or "menu hack" as it's sometimes called, does appear to have started with In-N-Out Burger. The California burger chain first opened up in 1948, but the higher-ups at In-N-Out Burger have been discreetly aware of the term "animal style" since the 1970s. The burger chain claims 1961 is the first time an "animal style" meal was likely ordered: It's partly legend, but supposedly the local California surfers often asked for custom orders, and soon the combo of grilled onions, pickles, and mustard on their burgers and fries began spreading through word of mouth. The name "animal style" might've been an insult hurled at the surfers and their messy food by more posh kids.

Over the years, In-N-Out leaned into the simple menu with widely known secrets, such as its Flying Dutchman with grilled onion buns or its more straightforward grilled cheese. Other food chains followed suit, especially with the rise of the internet. Lots of restaurant secret menu options spring up from customizations invented by customers, and nowadays, those ideas for custom orders can spread much more easily. Starbucks' now-famous secret menu started much more recently, and picked up steam with the viral pink drink (a strawberry refresher with coconut milk), which has now reached its official menu. In fact, Starbucks now proudly flaunts its secret menu, which defeats the point a little bit.

The problem with secret menus, though, is that when a fast food chain unveils an official secret menu, it won't stop fans from creating even more new entries on their own. Not all of them are welcome, either. Some of these menu customizations are frustrating for employees to make and require them to memorize lots of bizarre new orders. Often, customers come up with new ideas faster than employees can remember them, like the so-called Monkey Style burger (animal fries on a burger) which has confounded In-N-Out cooks in recent years. When you order secret menu items, remember that they're essentially community-driven phenomena, even if some of them eventually become official.