Secret Menu Hacks You Need To Know

Whether you eat at fast food restaurants all the time or only occasionally, you might, from time to time, get a little bit bored with the menu and wish there was something you could do to mix things up a bit. At most restaurants, there is something you can do. These aren't official menu items, but with a little creative ordering and tinkering, you can get brand-new, interesting dishes at your regular fast food spots.

It's always hard when a restaurant takes your favorite dish off the menu, but in the case of Panera (or St. Louis Bread Company to all those in the St. Louis area), it might be easier for you to order those items again than you thought. According to a shift supervisor who commented on a Hack The Menu post about Panera, many "secret menu" and discontinued items can still be ordered, just not by name. You have to know how to recreate it, but if they have the ingredients in the store, they'll typically be able to make it for you, no problem. Just be sure to know how you want your salad, sandwich, bowl, or flatbread customized. 

Like that Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Frappuccino, the Caramel Apple Sundae sounds like the most delicious treat for fall. A simple social media search seems to indicate that at least some McDonald's locations had this on their official menu at some point, but no longer do. Never fear. It's easy to order and customize to your liking. According to Hack The Menu, all you have to do is order a hot caramel sundae and (nicely) ask if you can have apple slices added to it. If they say no, order a side of apple slices and add them to your sundae yourself. Top it off with nuts (or granola if you'd prefer and are able).

This menu hack is for all those who are constantly on the go, too busy for sitting down for breakfast and coffee in the morning. According to People
, in order to successfully order Starbucks' oatmeal latte, order oatmeal with milk rather than water and then a shot or two of espresso. While you can certainly order the espresso on the side, you can also ask them to just add it to your oatmeal for the perfect all-in-one breakfast.

Does it get any better than chocolate, hazelnut, and coffee? I'm really not sure that it does. Now you can get your favorite combination of flavors in your Starbucks frappuccino. According to Starbucks Secret Menu, you need to order either a Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino or a Java Chip Frappucino. Then, add mocha syrup, hazelnut syrup, hazelnut drizzle, and whipped cream. Way more delicious than one small truffle (but, to be fair, many more calories too).

You might not think that ordering off the kids menu at Panera is really a hack, but it totally is. According to a recent Panera Bread Instagram post, kids can now order a half order of anything off the adult menu — they're not just stuck with peanut butter and jelly and grilled cheese. That means that whether you're trying to watch your portion sizes or don't think that you should or can polish off a full order of something, you can still order something tasty as well as healthy and feel good about what you're eating.