Where Did Animal-Style Fries Come From?

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In-N-Out fries are strangely controversial among customers. The fast-food chain prides itself on making its fries from fresh potatoes cooked only in sunflower oil, no flavorings added. As a result, some people find them a bit too plain in comparison with other fast-food chains — lacking that delicious oomph. It's therefore not surprising at all that a very popular order at In-N-Out is Animal Style fries — those come with a significant flavorful upgrade, featuring two slices of melted cheese, grilled onions, and a heap of the chain's signature sauce. But where did this iteration of the fries get its offbeat name? Funnily enough, it came from loud and mischievous customers.

The origin of the name was revealed in a book titled "The Ins-N-Outs of In-N-Out Burger: The Inside Story of California's First Drive-Through and How it Became a Beloved Cultural Icon," written by Lynsi Snyder, the owner of the chain. Apparently, some customers would regularly wreak havoc while waiting for their orders, so the employees nicknamed them animals because of their unruly behavior — similar to how our parents used to remind us that we don't live in a zoo when shenanigans with the siblings got a bit too out of hand.

The very first Animal Style meal wasn't the saucy, cheesy fries; it was a burger. In the early '60s, one of the rowdy customers spotted an employee making a custom burger and wanted to try it for himself. The burger featured a mustard-fried beef patty, pickles, onions, and loads of sauce. After the customer tried it, loved it, and kept ordering it, the burger variation ultimately became known as Animal Style. Not only that, it also became the first item on the ever-growing In-N-Out secret menu. By now, of course, the Animal Style burger and fries aren't really a secret anymore, which the chain playfully acknowledged by placing them on its official Not So Secret menu.

The Animal Style order does confuse some customers, though. Since it has become so popular (even enticing Gordon Ramsay), many want to try it without fully understanding what they're actually ordering. In-N-Out employees revealed in a Reddit thread that customers sometimes order an Animal Style burger without the onions, pickles, and sauce — even though those additions are Animal Style by default. That said, you can still customize your burger and fries within the animal parameters. For example, Animal Style fries can be ordered without the cheese, instead topped with just the sauce and grilled onions, in which case they will cost the same as regular fries.