What It Means To Order A Mustard Grilled Patty On In-N-Out's Secret Menu
If you frequent In-N-Out to satisfy your burger, fries, and milkshake cravings, then you probably have your order down to a T. Like most customers, we all have our preferences of what we like and don't like, so once that is figured out, it's hard to stray away from an order after knowing that it works for us.
But sometimes, you need to take chances. Especially when it comes to food, that is kind of the whole point. While fast food restaurants have their menu items perfectly arranged on the LED screens behind the counter or in the drive-thru, there are oftentimes some "secret" menu items. Some of these can actually be driven to land a full-time spot on a restaurant's menu due to popularity. According to E Consultancy, one reason restaurant chains have secret menus is to generate buzz among common conversations, with hopes of going viral. Additionally, secret menus allow restaurants to experiment and get creative with food creations, as well as build a loyal fanbase of customers that feel like they are getting something special.
Having had its doors open for over 70 years, In-N-Out has had plenty of time when it comes to food experimentation and creativity (via In-N-Out). Its "official" secret menu features crowd pleasers like the mustard grilled patty — but how do you get your hands on it?
In-N-Out's mustard grilled patty
For it being on the "secret" menu, there's nothing really secret about this burger option at In-N-Out. As the name implies, a mustard grilled patty is just that –- a burger grilled with mustard on it. According to Hack The Menu, In-N-Out kitchen employees will add mustard to each side of the patty before grilling it. You'll just want to make sure that you actually enjoy the taste of mustard before requesting this "secret" menu item, considering it will have a lot of hot mustard on it.
According to Reddit though, it doesn't have an overwhelming mustard taste. "It does add a distinct flavor but more often than not you don't taste direct mustard," one Redditor commented on a thread. "If you really wanna know what it tastes like, get a Flying Dutchman mustard fried," another In-N-Out secret menu customer said. For the latter option, a Flying Dutchman would consist of two hamburger patties sandwiched between two slices of American cheese (via Enjoy Orange County). With that, you'd just add on the grilled mustard aspect to your beef patties for the full effect.
A lot of secret menu options
Just like most fast food chains, over time customers will try to come up with some crazy food and menu options. This usually naturally happens as restaurants try to appease the different preferences and tastes of their customers. Because of In-N-Out's longer history as a burger joint, it has a pretty extensive secret menu. According to In-N-Out's website, there are six "official" secret menu items that customers can for sure request at their local restaurant. These include double meat, 3x3, and 4x4 — adhering to customers' requests of double, triple, or quadruple meat on their burger. Additionally, In-N-Out also has the option of ordering a grilled cheese, equipped with lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, as well as ordering a burger protein-style, wrapped in a lettuce leaf instead of a bun, and animal-style, featuring a mustard-grilled patty with all of the toppings on it.
While these are the "official" secret menu items, there seems to be a surplus of "unofficial" secret menu items. According to Enjoy Orange County, there are several dozen different secret menu items at In-N-Out. However, it's important to note that not all In-N-Out locations may actually offer these, so you'll be taking your chances.