Secrets behind the fast food counter

For months, my teen son has talked about a secret menu at Jamba Juice. The inner cynic in me dismissed my son's talk as urban legend. Frustrated, teen son directed me to a Google search that uncovered secret menus, not only at Jamba Juice, but Starbucks and MacDonalds. Suddenly, I was thrust into a gustatory Da Vinci Code mystery that needed investigating.

Not wanting to appear foolish at the counter, I made sure I read up on these secret menus. Sour Patch Kids, Apple Pie, White Gummy Bears, and some chocolate concoction that came with a disclaimer were at one point regular Jamba Juice items. But decision makers at the health-conscious smoothie business decided to pull the high calorie items off the menu. The recipes were kept "under the table" for those willing to risk a diabetic coma.

Starbucks' secret menu was less about the product type and more about how much more money the coffee behemoth can French press out of customers. One "secret" at Starbucks is the "short" size cup. The regular menu items are served up in sizes "Tall", "Grande", and "Venti". However, those who know about the secret menu can order their coffee "short" and save. Of course, Starbucks doesn't want everyone short-ordering their over-priced coffee drinks, so mums the word.

MacDonald's secret menu seems to be the fast food giant's way of serving high fat fare without attracting the attention of the Food Police. Did you know you can order biscuits and gravy during the breakfast hours? Or how about substituting the regular hamburger patties in the Big Mac with quarter pound patties? And would you like fries with that coronary?

Curiosity got the best of me, so the Hubs and I took the rugrats to Jamba Juice today to test the validity of the secret menu. I wasn't sure what level of security clearance was needed to access the secret menu, but I was not going to stand for a wand search and my belt and shoes were going to stay on, thank you very much. The first order attempt was met with confusion at the counter. Sour Patch Kids and Apple Pie apparently were not made at this location. White Gummy Bear and Chocolate Covered Strawberry, however, made the cut. The young man at the counter chuckled when we told him about the secret menu items we found on the Internet. He even offered to make whatever secret menu items came with recipes next time we visited.

I wonder what other secret menus lurk behind fast food counters. It is a mystery worth unwrapping.