Insider Advice For Your Next Visit To In-N-Out

The California-based burger chain In-N-Out has something of a cult following. The yellow arrow with red letters is an instantly recognizable logo for Californians. Local West Coasters love In-N-Out as an affordable fast food option that's known to use fresh ingredients. It's not just a fix for people looking for cheap food, though. The fast food chain is a favorite of many famous chefs. For example, Julia Child is said to have been a fan of this burger chain, and this is also where chef Gordon Ramsay gets his burger fix. The first In-N-Out opened in 1948 in Baldwin Park, California. Since then, the company has grown to 424 locations in eight states and is continuing to grow. 

Visiting In-N-Out is sort of a right of passage when you live in or visit the West Coast. If you were to come in without knowledge of the chain and order off their regular menu, though, you would still have a good meal — because customers rave about the burgers — but you'll likely miss out on the full experience. For some people, ordering from the secret menu is what In-N-Out is all about. The chain's secret menu is the topic most discussed online. As a long-time Californian and frequent In-N-Out customer, here are some of my insider tips to make the most of your next In-N-Out visit, which hopefully won't be your last.

In-N-Out's main menu is pretty short and simple. You can get a burger with or without cheese, or a Double-Double which is a burger with two meat patties and two cheese slices. Then, there are french fries, milkshakes with three flavor choices, and other beverages. You can't really go wrong ordering from In-N-Out's classic menu that's hardly changed in decades, but one of the things that have made this burger chain so beloved is the so-called secret menu that gives you a lot more options.

Now, there's a lot on In-N-Out's secret menu but a big part of it are actually modifications you can do to the core items, like adding extra patties or cheese. You can also ask for the buns to be extra toasted, which I also like as it makes the edges a little crispy. There are some modifications, however, that you won't know from reading the classic menu alone. 

For example, you can add chopped, pickled chili peppers to your burger for a little bit of heat. You can also ask for your burger to be "mustard-grilled" where they would grill the patty with mustard. I highly recommend trying these two modifications if you haven't tried them before. My mom's go-to order is the cheeseburger "protein-style" which means that the burger is wrapped in crisp, fresh iceberg lettuce instead of burger buns. It's a great low-carb option or if you're looking for a lighter meal. 

One of the most common and popular secret menu modification is to make something "animal style." It's so popular that In-N-Out has actually trademarked the term "animal style." You can make both burgers or french fries animal style. 

The first animal style burger was made in 1961 and according to the company, it was done for a customer request. An animal style burger at In-N-Out involves a few things. First, the beef patty is grilled with mustard. Then, the raw onions are replaced with chopped, grilled onions. They also add pickles and lastly, there's an extra dollop of the chain's signature spread that is reminiscent of Thousand Island salad dressing. If this is your first time at In-N-Out, I would recommend trying the animal style cheeseburger, especially if you like pickles. Remember, you can also make a Double Double or other burgers animal style.

With In-N-Out's animal style fries, the french fries are topped with melted cheese, caramelized onions, and the signature spread. The french fries here could use an improvement (more on that later), so the animal style fries are certainly a popular order. After all, cheese and spread make everything better.  These two items are probably the chain's most famous items and certainly worth trying if you haven't done so yet. They're popular for a good reason.

When you look up In-N-Out secret menu items online, whether on social media or other websites, you might see some talk about items called "roadkill fries" or "lemon pepper fries." Well, I'm sorry to say, but you can't order those items as those aren't actual "secret menu" items. These are two examples of things people have made up and have assembled themselves after receiving their order. 

For example, roadkill fries are supposedly fries topped with a hamburger patty. Some say the patty is crumbled (which would indeed make it easier to enjoy). This is not a real secret menu item, so don't try to order it with the staff, you'll just be wasting everyone's time. If you do, they will tell you they do not serve that item (believe me, I've tried ordering it). 

Roadkill fries is something you can assemble yourself by getting fries or animal fries and a patty on the side. Same with lemon pepper fries, those are something you have to assemble yourself and you can't do it at the drive-thru. For lemon pepper fries, people are squeezing lemon wedges which can be found by the drink station and sprinkling pepper on top of the fries. Some food bloggers have also made up fake menu items like doggy-style fries and monkey fries. Don't try to order them as you'll annoy the employees. 

With all this "secret menu" stuff, you might wonder just how much you'll end up paying for your order. After all, secret menu item prices aren't listed on the menu board. A lot of the secret menu modifications at In-N-Out actually don't carry an extra charge. Basically, In-N-Out charges for the extra meat patties and cheese slices that you get on top of the classic order. While the not-so-secret menu lists a 4x4, you can add even more patties and cheese slices, if you really want to, and just pay for the extras. 

For example, there's no extra charge to make your cheeseburger animal-style, since it involves adding onions, pickles, and extra spread. Similarly, there's no cost to add chopped chili peppers or swapping raw with grilled onions. On the other hand, making your french fries animal-style does cost extra, because they are adding a slice of cheese on top of your fries. 

On the flip side, you won't pay any less when you subtract other components except for a meat patty and cheese. For example, if you order a Flying Dutchman which has two meat patties and two slices of cheese and nothing else, you'll end up paying the same amount as a Double Double. We'd love to tell you how much each patty or cheese slice costs, but In-N-Out's prices vary between locations due to different labor and operational costs.

The very first In-N-Out location that opened in 1948 was a drive-thru restaurant and most In-N-Out locations feature a drive-thru. In fact, it was only in 1979 that the company opened the first location with a dining room, although most locations after that feature a nice indoor dining room. In-N-Out is certainly popular and pretty much all of their locations are busy, especially around meal times. When you drive up to an In-N-Out location, you'll likely see a line of cars snaking out of the drive-thru, as that's still a major part of the business. 

If you're short on time and you don't specifically need to get the food as a drive-thru option, I find that it's usually faster to park your car and order inside. In my experience, even though it can still be quite busy, the line to order inside the store is usually shorter compared to the drive-thru. I also rarely have trouble finding a parking spot in their lots. When you order inside, you can still get your meals to go or ask for the paper tray they serve drive-thru customers who want to eat their meals in their cars. On the other hand, you can just enjoy your food in the dining room.

If you've ever heard of In-N-Out, you have probably heard of a few of the secret menu items. Most likely you've heard of animal-style cheeseburger and animal-style fries. You probably have also heard of what is called the 4x4 (that's pronounced four by four and comes with four meat patties and four slices of cheese). These items are so well-known that you could hardly call them secret menu items anymore. 

Many websites publish a list of all of In-N-Out's secret menu items, but you don't have to look far and wide for the most popular ones. In fact, there are six items that are so popular that In-N-Out actually publishes these orders themselves, labeled as the "Not So Secret" menu. You can read the description of what each one is on In-N-Out's own website, so you know it's reliable. You can get to know it straight from the source, and they're good go-to items if you don't know what to order.

Among the six not-so-secret items, one we haven't discussed so far is the grilled cheese. The grilled cheese is basically In-N-Out's cheeseburger without the hamburger patty, but it has an extra slice of cheese and still comes with the tomato, lettuce, and spread (onions optional). In-N-Out doesn't have a plant-based patty, so the grilled cheese is basically the vegetarian option. It's not bad, but unless you're vegetarian, I would stick to a real burger.

Burgers and fries aren't the only things you can customize at In-N-Out. You can also customize your drink order at In-N-Out, whether it's the lemonade, soda, or the milkshakes. For example, people love to order Neapolitan shake at In-N-Out, combining the three flavors that the chain offers: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. You can also ask for a combination of any two flavors instead.

In the same vein, you can mix and match the sodas and lemonade. This is easiest if you order inside the store, as you can do this at the soda fountain. But if you're ordering at the drive-thru, simply ask for the combination you want when you order. Mixing different sodas aren't exclusively an In-N-Out thing, of course. 

In-N-Out has a signature pink lemonade, and a pretty common secret menu order is the Lemon Up. The drink is basically a combination of the pink lemonade with 7-Up, mixed in a 1:1 ratio. It's a nice fizzy, lemon-y drink. When you make it yourself at the soda fountain, you can try any ratio you want. In-N-Out regulars also shared their favorite drink combinations on Reddit, in case you're curious to try. One said, "7-Up and Cherry Coke. The perfect In-N-Out drink."

A popular secret menu drink you can ask for at In-N-Out is the root beer float. It's a classic treat. Of course, In-N-Out doesn't have ice cream or soft serve, so you won't get a root beer float in the traditional sense. Instead, the root beer float here is made using the milkshake. If you ask for a root beer float, the staff will combine root beer with the vanilla milkshake. Of course, you can ask for any of the three milkshake flavors they have.

In theory, it also doesn't have to be root beer, but you can order a float with any of the drinks they offer, such as Cherry Coke or Dr. Pepper. You just need to specify what combination you want when you place your order. For example, a particular Redditor likes the combination of Dr. Pepper with In-N-Out's strawberry shake. The combination options are practically limitless. Another Redditor even likes getting the burger chain's coffee combined with milkshake for an "affogato" of sorts, instead of a soda float. They said, "Coffee and ice cream shake. Get half and half. It's amazing." I have yet to try it, but it doesn't sound like a bad idea and it's certainly cheaper than a Frappuccino. 

Onions are controversial ... especially raw onions. Some people love them, while some can't stand the smell. That's why when you order a burger at In-N-Out, they will always ask you if you want onions on your burger. But the answer to this question does not have to be a simple yes or no. If you just answer that you want onions, you will get a whole slice of raw onion in your burger. 

However, there are different ways you can enjoy onions in your In-N-Out burger. For one, you can ask for "grilled onions" and get chopped, grilled onions on your burger. These are the same chopped, grilled onions that go on the animal style cheeseburger. Another option is to ask for "whole grilled onion." As the phrase suggests, with this option the onions aren't chopped into small pieces, but served as a whole slice that's been grilled. 

For people who don't quite want the sharpness from raw onions but still want onions — or prefer caramelized onions in general — these are both good options to try. I personally enjoy the whole grilled onion on my burger from time to time. Some people even ask for an "onion wrap" which means the cheese and patty are sandwiched between two whole slices of grilled onion instead of burger buns. It's a keto-friendly version for people who love onions.

Even In-N-Out fans will tell you that the fries are probably the weakest thing on the chain's menu. Many say the fries aren't crispy enough, even though some diners don't mind that. Paradoxically, it's actually because In-N-Out is committed to using fresh ingredients. Fresh, never frozen is in fact one of the chain's core values. That means their french fries are also made from fresh, hand-cut potatoes. Unfortunately, freezing fries and double-frying them somehow makes fries crispier. Flash freezing and double-frying fries are some of the key steps that make McDonald's fries as consistently good as they are. 

Now, you can't quite make In-N-Out's fries taste like double-fried fries, but you can use the secret menu modifications to make them taste better. An easy one, of course, is to get the fries animal style. After all, you'd be less concerned about how crispy the fries are when they're all covered in cheese and sauce. You can also only add cheese instead of going full animal style. If you don't want any toppings, try ordering the fries "light" if you prefer them fried for a shorter period of time. On the other hand, ordering the fries "well done" means that the fries will be cooked for a longer period. Well done fries are browner and crispier.