McAlister's Secret Menu Items You Need To Try

Love super-cheesy grilled cheese sandwiches? It's not difficult to hack your way to the equivalent of The Big Cheese from McAlister's original secret menu. The secret to succeeding with this hack lies in the kids' menu. That's right. You'll need to start with the kids' menu to hack your way to your very own The Big Cheese lookalike (and taste-alike) sandwich. Order yourself a Toastie (which is a basic grilled cheese sandwich), and ask for extra cheese. Specifically, request three slices of American and Swiss cheese and two slices of Provolone, grilled to melty deliciousness. 

Voila: You have your own The Big Cheese, even though the sammy was discontinued long ago. Like the concept but want different bread? Opt for the Four Cheese Melt instead of a simple toastie. Just leave off the tomato and you've got yourself the equivalent of The Big Cheese on a ciabatta roll instead of sliced bread. McAlister's may not be the first place you think of when you're hankering for the gooey goodness of a grilled cheese sandwich, but this hack — which dates back to before the restaurant's original official secret menu — just may change your mind.

Speaking of the kids' menu at McAlister's, it provides a great, low-cost way to hack your way to a roll-your-own veggie wrap. Just order a kids' garden salad along with a whole wheat tortilla (the kind McAlister's uses for the wrap sandwiches that are on the for-real menu). The kids' garden salad is a mini version of the full-size garden salad, so it's just the right amount to make a wrap. It includes salad greens, shredded cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, and croutons. You may want to hold the croutons, as they might be a bit odd on a wrap. Or, you can keep them and enjoy them as a crunchy side to go along with your wrap. 

Culinarydeviant on TikTok shows you how to make easy work of putting together this secret menu selection. Basically, you'll just need to lay the wrap flat, spoon the salad fixings on the wrap, add your favorite salad dressing, and roll the sandwich to close it. Never mind about ordering from the kids' menu. This creative secret menu sandwich is a great way to enjoy a satisfying and delicious grown-up vegetarian meal on the cheap, and that's the best kind of hack. 

For another cool hack involving McAlister's tasty French Dip sandwich, you can make an unbelievably simple adjustment to end up with an uber-tasty open-faced roast beef sandwich. This is as simple as ordering a French Dip without the top bun. Pair your open-faced roast beef sammy with a side of potato salad for a comfort food deli meal that's as hearty as it is delicious.

This fun hack leads to a meal that'll make you feel more like you're eating in a cafeteria (or grandma's kitchen) than a deli. The staff will probably be thrilled that you're just asking to leave something off rather than requesting a unique combination of ingredients. Or, instead of leaving off the top bun, you might want to ask for it on the side. That way, you can give it to a dining companion who just may be able to use it to hack a creative concoction of their own.

If you're craving a different McAlister's secret menu throwback hack, you're sure to be thrilled to discover that you can come very close to recreating the once-popular Sweetberry Chicken sandwich. Even though McAlister's no longer has an official secret menu, you can get really close to this tasty sandwich by making a few tweaks to the Grilled Chicken sandwich on the restaurant's current menu.  

The first big change you'll need to make is the bread, if you want to end up with a legit Sweetberry Chicken sandwich. The Grilled Chicken sandwich comes on a croissant, so you'll need to swap that out for wheat bread to stay true to the original. Of course, croissants are buttery and delicious, so you may want to keep the bread as-is. To complete the hack, you'll need to hold the honey mustard and replace it with a bit of mayo and (if available) a slather of orange cranberry sauce. If your location doesn't have orange cranberry sauce, substitute something else sweet. For example, you could ask the employees to add a few fresh blueberries or dried cranberries, or even opt to keep the honey mustard. 

Adding veggie chili to a Justaspud isn't the only option for enjoying a flavor-packed meatless baked potato at McAlister's. There are a few different ways to hack a tasty broccoli and cheese baked potato at this restaurant. Start by ordering a Justaspud and a side of steamed broccoli. From there, there are several ways to add dairy deliciousness to your tater. To add rich, thick cheesy goodness to your potato, order a side of cheese dip (from the Nacho Basket) to pour over the top. For a thinner sauce and even more broccoli, order a cup of Broccoli and Cheddar Soup to add cheesy goodness.  

No matter which option to choose for the cheese, your DIY broccoli cheese spud will be super-easy to assemble. Just use a fork to place the steamed broccoli on top of the potato, then spoon your chosen cheesy topping over the top. Chances are that you'll have enough cheese dip or Broccoli and Cheddar Soup to top two spuds, so you can easily split these add-ons with a dining companion. Hint: If you want even more cheese on your tater, ask for some shredded cheese to add a finishing flourish to the very top. 

Craving chicken salad and fruit? The official McAlister's menu doesn't include chicken salad on its own, but the restaurant's regular offerings do include the Harvest Chicken Salad — which is a scoop of chicken salad on top of a garden salad. Since the side choices at McAlister's include both a garden salad and fresh fruit, it should be easy enough to hack your way to a chicken salad and fruit plate by making a slight tweak to the Harvest Chicken Salad. That menu selection is ripe (pun intended; after all, we are talking about fruit here) for a secret menu hack. 

What should you request? Just order yourself a Harvest Chicken Salad, but ask to substitute the garden salad portion of the dish with the fresh fruit from the side menu. This should be an even swap. Specify that you'd like the chicken salad and fruit in separate containers, rather than combined together in a single dish. Or if you're really hungry and also want some lettuce, order a Harvest Chicken Salad with the chicken salad on the side and add a side of fresh fruit. Either way, you'll be able to enjoy a refreshing chicken salad plate at McAlister's. 

McAlister's has both iced tea and lemonade on its beverage menu, so you can easily enjoy an Arnold Palmer — which is half iced tea and half lemonade — with your lunch or dinner. Even though McAlister's doesn't actually list an Arnold Palmer on its regular menu, this is a secret menu item that you might be able to order by name rather than explaining your request in detail. After all, the campus dining team at Appalachian State University has tweeted at least one shout-out naming the Arnold Palmer at the on-Campus McAlister's as "staff pick of the week." 

Whether the team at your local McAlister's recognizes what you're asking for when you request an Arnold Palmer or not, you can still easily hack your way to this refreshing secret menu drink. Simply ask for a drink that's half lemonade and half iced tea. For an ultra-sweet drink, mix sweet tea with lemonade. For less of a sugary rush, you can mix together unsweetened iced tea with lemonade. It'll still be sweet this way, but the tartness of the lemonade will shine through more.