Can You Order An In-N-Out Burger Medium Rare?

West Coast fast food darling In-N-Out is well known for its fresh, quality ingredients, and not being on the East Coast. New Yorkers craving In-N-Out have quite a trip to satisfy their hankering. The other thing it's known for is its secret menu.

In-N-Out's secret not-so-secret menu is ... expansive, to say the least. There are so many options, and orders are super customizable, so you can get what you want, how you want it. Popular secret menu items include the Flying Dutchman, which is two burger patties and two slices of melted cheese, no bun. The mustard grilled burger hack will take your meal to the next level – the cook finishes your burger in delicious, vinegary, fried mustard. And yes, the fries are pretty terrible, but you can attempt to improve them by ordering them well done (twice fried), or order your fries with melted cheese, burger sauce, grilled onions, chopped peppers, or any combination of the four. Your drinks can even be customized. Get yourself a root beer float, a black and white shake (chocolate and vanilla), or a Neapolitan shake – chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors in one cup (via Serious Eats).

But when it comes to the actual patty, can you have it medium rare?

Short answer? Not anymore, apparently. In-N-Out cooks everything fresh to order, and all ingredients, including the beef, are sourced locally with almost daily deliveries. There are no freezers or warmers either, so you know you're getting quality, fresh ingredients and freshly prepared food, not something that's been sitting under a heat lamp for 20 minutes (via In-N-Out). Cooks are trained to cook the beef patties well done, but if you asked, they used to make your burger medium rare, pink in the center with a delicious brown crust (via Serious Eats).

Posting on the chain's official Facebook page, a disgruntled customer asked, "What's with no more medium rare burgers??" In-N-Out explained in the comments, "b\Because of a change in state law, we are no longer able to serve medium rare meat patties at any of our locations ... related to the changes in the California Health and Safety code that went into effect on January 1, 2017." Redditors were also stumped, with one asking, "So I just tried to order a burger medium rare ... and the employee said they can only cook burgers more, not less." This is understandable, as a medium-rare burger does pose some health risks (not to mention liability issues), but is disappointing for those who like a bit of color in their burger.