Day 18: In-N-Out Burger and the "Hidden Menu"

This post is for my non-Californian readers. You might have encountered In-N-Out Burger in Eric Schlosser's "Fast Food Nation." He cites In-N-Out as an example of what fast food can be. The beef is fresh, never frozen. Food isn't cooked until you order, which sometimes results in long lines during peak times. And the employees get full benefits and higher than average wages compared to other fast food chains. This is the menu.


Or you might have heard of In-N-Out as the burger chain Paris Hilton was headed for in 2006 when she got pulled over for a DUI. In 2003, Angelina Jolie cut out of the Academy Awards ceremony early to stop off at In-N-Out on the way home. In a 2004 interview with Los Angeles Magazine, Julia Child was said to have requested an In-N-Out burger while in the hospital recovering from knee surgery.

The company, which started in 1948, is still family-owned so it's been growing slowly. Only within the past decade did In-N-Out start expanding beyond SoCal. And even now, has only expanded to Arizona and Nevada. But In-N-Out has long had a "hidden menu," that's not so hidden anymore.


I usually just order, a $1.90 cheeseburger "animal-style" - beef patty fried in mustard, grilled onions, secret sauce, and pickles with a $1.19 side of fries.


But if you're particularly hungry, you can order the $2.85 double-double. That's two beef patties and two slices of cheese. Again, I prefer mine "animal-style."


But the company's official "not-so secret menu" still doesn't list everything. You can also order your fries "animal-style" - grilled onions, cheese, and special sauce for $2.79.


If you're doing Atkins or eating low-carb, you can also get your burgers "protein-style" - sans buns and wrapped in lettuce. I haven't eaten a burger this way in years and thought I remembered there being more lettuce? Usually there's so much lettuce that it overpowers the meat so I think ordering it as a double-double evens that out.


Since nothing is frozen, using fresh potatoes means their fries can be a bit limp. So you can also order your fries "well-done." Oh, yeah, and the discreet Bible verses are part of the company's beliefs too.


You can also get your burgers without the beef as a grilled cheese. And if the double-double isn't enough for you, you can order a 3-by-3 or a 4-by-4. Unfortunately, they no longer offer the 100-by-100. The highest they'll go now is the 4-by-4.

March 16, 2009 Update: Tipped off by Noah Galuten, I found out you can get grilled whole onions in your burger, and even better...


...chopped chili peppers!!! Look at the bottom of the picture. Those are yellow pickled chili peppers. Soooooo gooooood!


Other "hidden menu" items include the flying Dutchman - beef patties and cheese, no lettuce, no tomatoes, no bun; and Neapolitan shake - chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla swirled. Anyone else know of other "hidden menu" items? 

My favorite other chain "hidden menu" item is The Hat's chili cheese fries with pastrami, pickles, and tomatoes.

In-N-Out Various Locations

*****
1 year ago today, still my very favorite dumpling house - Luscious Dumplings, Inc. in San Gabriel.