Fast Food Secret Menus: Everything You Need to Know

Popular fast food restaurant trends have come and gone. However, there is one that’s stuck around: secret menus. The trend kicked off when customers ordered outlandish modifications to standard menu items at leading restaurants. These concoctions were passed on via word of mouth. Soon, customers everywhere were asking for them.  

From here, the secret menu was born. It’s a type of menu featuring items customers wouldn’t usually find on your main menu. They also offer restaurants a wealth of benefits.  

Not only do secret menus build intrigue and excitement around your brand, but they also reward loyal customers. Ordering off-menu means customers are “in the know” about your less-advertised food or drinks, which creates a sense of exclusivity. It invites them to find a new hidden gem at your restaurant.

Customers may rave to their friends and family about their discovery, giving your restaurant valuable word-of-mouth marketing. Leveraging an online presence can help spread the word about your secret menu further.  

Launching a secret menu may be the perfect way to acquire and retain customers. We created this article to provide all the information you need to know about building a successful secret menu.  

Exploring Fast Food Secret Menus 

Secret menus reward dedicated customers. These individuals follow your brand online, talk about your menu items with their network, and maybe post the occasional review. A secret menu invites such customers to generate buzz about your restaurant.  

Here are four ways restaurants use secret menus to attract and keep customers: 

1. Built-in shareability and word-of-mouth marketing: The more customers talk about your secret menu online, the greater your visibility. Whether it’s sharing discoveries with friends and family or posting them on social media, customers have their eyes on your business.  
2. Experiment with new menu items: If you have a new menu item but are unsure how your customers will receive it, add it to your secret menu. If it catches on, you can trust it will have success on your main menu. A secret menu is a dedicated place to experiment with new ideas and stay ahead of the competition. 
3. Creates exclusivity and excitement around the brand: Most customers love feeling like they are in the know. If a customer discovers your secret menu, they’re more likely to feel connected to your restaurant. Maybe they stumbled upon the menu or found it after diligent research. Either way, they’re rewarded with unique ordering options. 
4. Boosts customer loyalty and awareness: Once a customer finds one new secret menu item, they’re likely to get curious about others. Consider finding creative ways to work the secret menu into your loyalty program. Or you could reintroduce a highly requested customer favorite. 

Secret menus offer benefits that range from increased customer satisfaction to peer-driven marketing for your business. Even if a customer has never ordered off-menu, they’ve probably heard of some famous items. The following four fast food secret menu items are long-time customer favorites: 

1. McDonald’s Snickers Iced Coffee: Chocolatey and nutty, this delicious iced coffee was initially discovered and shared across social media.  
2. In-N-Out Flying Dutchman: Two slices of cheese melted between two burger patties, with the option of adding pickles, onions, and sauce, is a crowd-pleaser. 
3. Wendy’s The Cube: Made with four quarter-pound beef patties, this secret menu item is a long-time fan favorite.  
4. Popeye’s Cajun Sparkle: These beloved seasoning packets feature garlic, onion, and red and black pepper for an explosion of flavor.  

It’s important to remember that secret menu items are not necessarily a real “secret.” Rather, they are less-advertised menu items for die-hard customers to uncover, share, and enjoy.  

How to Access Secret Menus 

Secret menus are easy to start. The hardest part is deciding how you want customers to find the menu. Here’s the trick: you want to create a secret menu but ensure it’s still discoverable somewhere in real life. Usually, that means leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for customers to follow. Consider these ideas to nudge them in the right direction: 

• Drop hints on social media  
• Put up creative in-store signage 
• Utilize a mobile app for easier menu access 
• Work the secret menu into your loyalty program 
• Revamp classic menu items 
• Create limited-time campaigns 
• Add secret menu items to your online ordering system 

There is a huge online community of secret menu enthusiasts. These individuals will share the word of your secret menu most effectively. Subreddits like /secretmenus or /restaurants foster conversations about secret menu discoveries. Likewise, social media channels like Instagram and X are great resources.  

It’s worth it for your team to linger in these communities. Pay attention to customer conversations and which secret menu items from other restaurants catch their eye. If there is a novel way someone learned of a secret menu, note that too.

Navigating Off-Menu Options at Fast Food Restaurants 

When a customer orders “off-menu” at a fast food restaurant, they’re asking for an item that doesn’t exist on the main menu. Yet, there are a couple of different ways you could approach which off-menu items are available.  

First, you could list foods and drinks that are unique combinations of existing menu items. Alternatively, a customer might need to ask for a specific main menu item modification. You could also build a secret menu of discontinued favorites that regulars know by name.  

Here’s a tip: Online ordering is the foundation of restaurants’ and c-stores' futures. It’s also a perfect way to share your new or improved secret menu with the world. Make sure you have a reliable and intuitive online ordering solution, so customers can find and try your secret menu with ease.  

How do you decide what a customer can order “off menu?” These are five of our favorite ideas: 

1. Seasonal favorites: These items may be featured on your main menu once per year while a different version of them lives on your secret menu year-round.  
2. Discontinued menu items: If you remove an item from the main menu, but your customers want it back, add it to the secret menu.  
3. Customer customizations: If your restaurant allows customers to add some level of customization to their orders, pay attention to these trends. Say you start to notice a lot of customers ordering a specific add-on; that’s your cue to incorporate it into your secret menu.  
4. Less well-known menu offerings: Secret menu items don’t have to be exclusively on the secret menu; you can feature lesser-known items from your main menu here, too.  
5. Experimentations with new menu items: If you have an experimental idea for a new menu item, give it a trial run on your secret menu. It’s the perfect place to see if it catches on or if you should keep tinkering with the recipe. 

Major shifts to your business or menu can be disruptive for customers who are used to how you currently operate. It’s not unheard of for customers to get angry about sudden restaurant changes. A secret menu gives you the flexibility to experiment and iterate without interrupting the regular menu your customers know and love.  

Additionally, most fast-food restaurants work with many separate locations. Try to keep your secret menu items as consistent across locations as possible. You can use them to create a sense of community and discovery around your brand.  

Discovering Fast Food Off-Menu Items 

Creating your secret menu is step one. Your next move is deciding the best way to get it to your customers. As mentioned above, a secret menu is meant to be under the radar, but not impossible to find. Ideally, you leave your dedicated customers a trail to discover the menu and share it with their social network.  

Here is where having a social media presence for your business can prove helpful. You can post teasers or hints that customers with a keen eye will spot and investigate further.  

Additionally, keep your eyes peeled for the food blogs and social media profiles or posts that publish roundups of the best secret menu items. Use them as resources during your research and promotion phases. It can be helpful to see what other restaurants have done, what’s been successful, and what hasn’t.  

Leverage this information to benchmark how you’ll approach creating a secret menu that stands out from your competitors and boosts your brand loyalty.  

The Bottom Line 

After all the creative planning and careful consideration you’ve put into launching your secret menu, how do you know it’s working? To start, pay attention to how often customers order off-menu. If that number trends up over time, it’s a good sign.  

Once you see an uptick in this number, watch your social media engagement. See what customers say about discovering, ordering, and tasting your off-menu items. Here, you’ll consider metrics like brand mentions and engagement with your posts—the latter is especially valuable if you leave secret menu breadcrumbs on social media. 

If creating a secret menu is fun for you, it will be equally fun for your customers to discover. Remember that you can continue to change it based on customer feedback. Most of all, keep your customers top of mind and equip your staff for success. 

Ready to bring your online ordering, loyalty, and secret menu strategies under one roof? Paytronix has all of the above and more to grow your business. Book a demo now to learn more.