Secret menu items have long been a staple of fast-food chains. Perhaps you’ve heard of In-N-Out Burger’s animal-style cheeseburgers or its delicious Flying Dutchman concoction (which is two slices of cheese sandwiched between two burger patties).
However, all kinds of restaurants can use a secret menu to create buzz and entice customers.
Ready to learn how you can whip up a cloak-and-dagger menu hack that will leave your customers’ taste buds in a tizzy? Read on for our complete guide on how to create the best secret menu items.
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of a secret menu item, well, it’s pretty much what it sounds like: an order that’s not listed on the regular menu. Many of these items started out as hacks. For example, the matcha creme frappuccino from Starbucks’ secret menu combines two of the coffee chain’s most popular items into a single tasty treat.
To give another example, Wendy’s offers the barnyard burger on its secret menu — a tantalizing concoction consisting of a beef patty, bacon, fried chicken, ham and several slices of cheese.
Meanwhile, Chipotle has burrito nachos, which is a burrito bowl with chips instead of rice and topped with your favorite burrito toppings, like beans, cheese, salsa, and sour cream.
Fortunately, you don’t have to be a giant fast-food chain to benefit from the exclusive appeal of secret menu items. Whether you’re a greasy-spoon diner, a fast-casual restaurant, a midsize chain of upscale Italian eateries, or something else entirely, a secret menu can help you attract and retain customers by making them feel like they’re a part of something special.
The allure of an off-menu dish can not only increase sales from the buzz it creates, but it also opens up a powerful opportunity for you to move high-profit margin products and to offload poorly selling ingredients.
As an added bonus, secret menu items can help you tailor your offerings to the tastes of your customers.
Believe it or not, secret menus don’t happen by accident. At least, not all the time. Savvy restaurateurs create secret menu items to make their customers feel like they’re part of an exclusive club.
Of course, creating a secret menu isn’t all sunshine and roses. If you remember how difficult it was to come up with your regular menu, you can just imagine the difficulties involved in creating a secret one.
Then, you come to the biggest obstacle: letting the right people in on the secret while keeping it a, you know, secret.
To help you put together a secret menu that can rival the likes of In-N-Out and Wendy’s, we’ve outlined the four steps every restaurant owner should take when creating a secret menu.
When it comes to creating your first secret menu items, take a leaf out of TLC’s book and don’t go chasing waterfalls. Now’s not the time to gamble on a completely new concept. Sticking to the ingredients you’re used to will give you the best chance of creating a truly memorable dish that will appeal to your existing customer base.
After all, you don’t see KFC playing around with peanut butter or guacamole on their secret menu, do you? No, KFC’s popular off-menu items include the Triple Down chicken sandwich. As its name suggests, the Triple Down takes everything you loved about the KFC Double Down — crisp fried chicken, melted cheese, and savory bacon — and stacked on another layer.
Not only did KFC make use of its normal ingredients — crispy chicken and slices of cheese in this case — but its menu hack made use of an existing menu favorite.
Need a little inspiration? Consider asking your back-of-the-house workers for ideas. These are the people who work in your kitchen day in and day out. If anyone knows how to remix your favorite menu items, it’ll be them.
Or have you noticed your customers creating their own hacks? For example, some McDonald’s customers will order two chocolate chip cookies and a soft-serve cone. Then, they put the ice cream between the cookies and create their own ice cream sandwich. You can take inspiration from your creative customers to add items to your official secret menu.
Seasonal menus bring all sorts of benefits. For one, they let you vary your offerings to complement the weather outside. For example, if you decide to offer secret menu drinks, you can have special milkshakes and root beer floats during the scorching summer months and piping-hot lattes for the winter chill.
Using a seasonal menu for your secret items also creates a sense of urgency which may help you drive sales. Finally, you can take advantage of seasonally available ingredients.
The biggest downside to creating a seasonal menu is all of the added work and communication involved. Not only do you have to create even more secret menu items to change with the seasons, but you need to let your customers know that the nacho-tortilla concoction they’re currently addicted to will no longer be available in a month.
You’ll have to decide if seasonal or limited-time secret menus will work best for your restaurant.
Let’s face it, secret menus don’t work if they’re actually secret. So it’s your duty to make sure all of your employees are up to date on your secret menu items.
Have you ever witnessed an uncomfortable exchange at a fast-food restaurant between a customer trying to order off the secret menu and a worker? If so, you know just how important it is to keep everyone on the same page when it comes to secret menu items.
On a related note, it’s equally important that your front-of-house staff knows how much to charge for each secret menu item.
Of course, not every restaurant relies on waitstaff. If you use a self-ordering kiosk system, you can input these special items into a separate category in your system so customers can order them. Or if you still want the item to be more of a secret, you can give your customers instructions on social media for how to customize a self-service order to create secret menu items.
Congratulations, you’re almost at the finish line! You’ve created a stellar menu using familiar ingredients like grilled onions, peanut butter, or sour cream, you’ve written up a price list, and your workers are in the know.
Now, it’s time to get the word out. You can’t rely on traditional advertising methods to raise awareness about your new secret items. Instead, you should consider harnessing the power of word-of-mouth marketing by using a whisper campaign.
Take advantage of social media by hiring a local food influencer to feature your new concoctions on their Facebook or Instagram page. A short video on TikTok can bring new eyes to your secret menu
For an offline approach, consider asking your workers to suggest the menu item to regulars who’d like to try something new.
Whipping up a secret menu for your restaurant doesn’t have to be hard. First, consider what ingredients you’ll incorporate into your new creations. Sticking to variations on tried and true dishes will give you a leg up.
Weigh the pros and cons of a seasonal menu, and make sure your staff are in the know. Then launch your secret menu media blitz. Use social media channels like Instagram and TikTok to get the word out.
The self-service kiosk app from KioskBuddy makes it easier than ever to accommodate your customers' tastes. You can set up the kiosk to let your customers order your well-thought-out secret menu items. Or give them the freedom to customize your regular menu items to their hearts' content.
Start a 30-day free trial today with KioskBuddy!