Why do restaurants have secret menus

Hidden label. By Jackie Prange. What Is a Secret Menu? The History of the Secret Menu Originally, the secret menu was devised by customers who created fun and sometimes obnoxious concoctions from classic menu items for their own entertainment.

Should I Offer a Secret Menu? Download our free inventory template Download. Get hot restaurant tips. Subscribe Now. Up Next. More Articles. Many have speculated why they keep these drinks off the menu. Some think it's because they don't want to lose their reputation as a healthy establishment. Whatever the reason, I can't wait to try out one of these delicious sounding smoothies the next time I go in!

Panera Bread launched its secret menu November of last year. Their goal was to make delicious and healthy food options that are an excellent source of protein with low processed carbs to keep you on the right track of sticking to your New Year's Resolutions. My favorite is the Power Chicken Hummus Bowl. You can view the secret menu at Panera's website, just make sure to let your cashier know you are ordering off the secret menu the next time you go visit.

McDonald's has a website dedicated to their secret menu. One of my favorite things on the list is the MC It gets its name because you can only order it during the special time between breakfast and lunch usually between and During this small window of time, you can order both breakfast and lunch items from McDonald's so its no surprise their secret menu would have a combination of the two meals.

What you get is an egg McMuffin with the cheese and patties from a McDouble. It's the perfect brunch on the go! Go to their website to see what else is on the secret menu!

Burger King also offers a handful of secret menu items. The most famous is the Suicide Burger. It's four beer patties, four slices of cheese, bacon, and special sauce. If that sounds too unhealthy for you, you can always try their secret Veggie Whopper where the patty is made from vegetables as opposed to beef. Burger King doesn't advertise their secret menu as much as some restaurants do, but with a little research, you can find all of their secret menu items.

While you might think that Taco Bell has an extensive menu already, there are a few items that you might want to give a try to that you've never seen before!

For example, a double grilled quesadilla or an enchirito! Did you know that most of the time, if you request the green sauce, you'll be able to get it too? However, if you ask your server for it, they'll have no problem whipping one up for you, too. Pair your single taco with an orange another kids' menu find for a healthy, satiating mini-meal.

And for more ideas, check out these 9 Healthy Chipotle Orders. Next time you're craving something sweet from McDonald's, ask for a plain snack-size McFlurry with half of a chocolate chip cookie mixed in the entire cookie is overkill in such a small cup. This flavorful, secret-ish breakfast bowl is filled with antibiotic-free turkey, basil pesto, egg whites, roasted peppers, and baby spinach.

If this dish sounds familiar, that's because Panera officially released a secret menu a few years back. It has since been removed from the web, but you can still order the items at a fair number of Panera locations. Traditionally, KFC 's Famous Bowl comes layered with creamy mashed potatoes, corn, crispy chicken bites, gravy, and shredded cheeses. We sent one of our staffers to their neighborhood KFC to see if the waitstaff would be willing to make him a custom Famous Bowl.

And though his request was met with a raised eyebrow, he got what he asked for: a cheeseless bowl, built upon a bed of green beans instead of mashed potatoes. The best part: You still get to sit down to a meal that includes crispy, fried chicken! Not all secret menu items have to be assembled by the staff! You can throw together some secret menu items yourself by ordering a few McDonald's staples.

The Hashbrown McMuffin is an easy one! Simply order a hashbrown and an egg McMuffin to make this delicious, hearty breakfast sandwich. This is another one of our faves from Panera 's not-so-secret secret menu. It's hard to go wrong with a combination of antibiotic-free chicken, hummus, baby spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, fresh-squeezed lemon, and chopped cilantro. Matcha lovers, rejoice! You can order a matcha tea—both in hot and cold forms—at your local Starbucks.

Hot and iced matcha lattes are on the menu, but this is a "secret" item if you don't want your drink in latte form. If you prefer hot matcha, order "unsweetened matcha tea powder mixed with hot water. Can't decide between ordering vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry? Why not have all three? Order a Neapolitan shake at In-N-Out for a delicious combination of all three shake flavors.

Panera mixes antibiotic-free roasted turkey, romaine lettuce, baby spinach, tomatoes, red onions, kalamata olives, extra-virgin olive oil, and freshly squeezed lemon juice to create this tasty, Mediterranean -style dish. Thanks to the west coast fast food joint In-N-Out, protein-style burgers giant lettuce leaves replace starchy buns have become popular among Paleo-followers and health-minded meat lovers, alike.

What a lot of people don't know, however, is that the low-carb trend has moved beyond the In-N-Out drive-thru and into outlets like Hardee's and Shake Shack. If you're not in the mood for beef, request the shack's vegetarian -friendly 'Shroom Burger made protein-style. Can't decide between a Filet-O-Fish and a cheeseburger?

Smash the two together with this clever sandwich combination! Just order two, take the top bun off the Filet-O-Fish on top, and add the cheeseburger on top. This order comes with lemon and pesto-topped top sirloin, sliced cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, and lettuce that is meant to be a "wrap.

Headed to Panera? Starbucks carries a wide variety of ingredients, and they also have no problem making anything customers request—which means your choices are practically limitless.

Next time you're there, why not play around with some of their ingredients to make a personalized smoothie?