A "Double double, animal style" from In-N-Out Burger. Photo by seriouseats.com
- Fast-Food Chains' Secret Menus - The New Yorker
We've actually eaten the In-N-Out double double animal style "secret" burger. The fact that we, outsiders visiting LA, had heard of it casts aspersions as to how secret it really is. Our verdict is that In-N-Out can't hold a candle to even the worst of Toronto's fast food burger joints, but that didn't stop a throng of people from lining up at the In-N-Out pop-up shop here in T.O. a few months ago.
We begin to suspect to truths: that, like the four-patty Grand Slam burger at Wendy's, there's a very good reason these items aren't on the menu, and that badly-kept "secrets" can go a very long way to making a mediocre product seem special. There's far more marketing here than magic. Move along!
