By Gabbie Corral |Staff Writer|

The secret is out about local restaurants’ secret menus and the hidden items they have to offer. Inland Empire residents, especially students, are always looking for new and exciting things to try at franchises.

However, their menus begin to look redundant across town which leaves students desiring something different. Well, look no further students. Secret menus are popping up everywhere across Southern California. “My favorite thing to order from Del Taco is actually not even on the menu,” said alumnus Jon Frisch.

Frisch’s quick pick-me-up food item is called a “bold burrito,” or more commonly known throughout the area as “the stoner burrito.” It is a regular ninety-nine cent bean and cheese burrito but additionally infused with Del Taco’s famous crinkle cut french fries and creamy sour cream, giving it a more filling consistency.

“I like it because it’s still cheap but keeps me full longer,” said Todd Seckrater, a San Bernardino County resident, as he bit into the stuffed burrito.

Places like In-N-Out are known for their secret menu, causing its secrecy to deplete over the years.
Food items like the Flying Dutchman, protein-style burgers and animal style fries are so commonly ordered that customers begin to wonder, “why not just put it on the menu?”

“In-N-Out Burger is the main secret menu I know about,” said student Justin Belicki when asked what secret menus he was aware of in the area.

Big restaurant chains hesitate to put items like these on their menus for two reasons: the exclusivity is lost and so is the nutritional value. It is for this reason that restaurants choose to offer special items indirectly.

Specialty beverage chains like Starbucks or Jamba Juice do not promote their few hidden items for different reasons.

If you are a regular at Starbucks, you are probably familiar with their cup sizes. But most people do not know that a cup smaller than the Tall (12 ounces) is offered for those who order a classic cup of coffee.

This cup size is called the Short and is a mere 8 ounces but is perfect for customers who think a Tall is just too much. It is nearly 30 cents cheaper.

“I thought that cup size was only for kids’ hot chocolate!” said Inland Empire local and Starbucks regular Lauren Van Hassel when asked if she knew about Starbucks’ Short size.

Jamba Juice’s candy-inspired drinks, like the Starburst and Gummy Bear, have been confirmed with the company’s headquarters but are not promoted due to their unhealthy ingredients that contradict the company’s healthy market.

Other franchises like Dairy Queen, Chipotle and Taco Bell offer their consumers a policy stating “if we have the ingredients, we’ll make it for you.”

Many people are unaware that any mixture of ingredients that these restaurants have can be combined to make new, unique creation of your choosing.

More and more restaurants are coming up with secret menus that offer customers a wider variety of products to choose from. They are counting on us to discover them and spread the word.