Hypocrite Burgers and Gummy Bear Shakes: Secret Menu Items Tempt Unconventional Palates

Photo by Alexandra Leon

The Hypocrite Burger at Fatburger combines a baffling blend of soy and bacon.

​Find yourself craving liquid candy, sky-high burgers, or bacon tofu combos? Restaurants cater to your most bizarre desires, even if their menus don't give it away.

According to couponsherpa.com, so-called "secret menus" may include every combination of ingredients a restaurant is able to make, like the off-menu nachos and quesadilla available at Chipotle. Sometimes there is a slew of items described on a website, like the 21 "secret" menu items posted on In-N-Out Burger's page.

The alternative dishes could be as harmless as Arby's Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwich,chicken breast topped with ham and melted Swiss cheese, or as terrifying as the McDonald's McGangBang, a double cheeseburger with a chicken sandwich wedged between two oozing patties.

Others are just puzzling, like the one Coupon Sherpa calls the Hypocrite Burger. This two-timing treat from Fatburger consists of bacon atop a veggie patty.

When asked about the mystifying meal choice, mentioned on national news sites like CNN and NPR, Jamille Ryan, a Miami Beach Fat Burger employee, said she had never heard of the name, but it isn't an uncommon order.

"We do see that sometimes," Ryan admitted. "People have come in here and ordered veggie burgers with bacon, and I think they're crazy because that defeats the purpose...[but] if they say they want bacon, we can't say no. It's their money, so we give them what they want."

Many restaurants' secret menu items also seem to be covert ways of slipping less healthy choices to their clientele. Subway's pizza sub (cheese, tomato sauce and pepperoni) was taken off the official menu when Jared and his oversized pants appeared on the scene, but Coupon Sherpa says it is still available at some restaurants upon request.

At Jamba Juice, a meager five-calorie shot of wheat grass just doesn't sound as satisfying as a 500-calorie gummy bear flavored smoothie, a secret menu item that exists alongside others like Fruity Pebbles, peanut butter and jelly, and pink Starburst.

"I remember distinctly asking about secret flavors," said Jamba Juice customer Jonathan Peltz, who ordered a pink Starburst smoothie at the University of Miami branch. "The guy wouldn't tell me which ones they had, so you have to know the flavors first."

Luckily, their decadent drink list is posted all over the Internet.

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