10 Wendy's Secret Menu Items You Need To Order

It may sound counterintuitive, but we believe the best secret menu items shouldn't remain a secret. While the official Wendy's menu isn't exactly short of stellar offerings, the nation's most passionate fast foodies have long since taken it upon themselves to find ways to elevate its fare. In many cases, they've succeeded — which is why we want to spread the good word of the tastiest treats Wendy's has to offer.

Obviously, we're not saying every supposed secret menu item you see online is a good idea. Case in point: the Land, Air, and Sea Burger. Some tout it as a highlight of the McDonald's secret menu, but, speaking from experience, there's a good reason why the chain hasn't combined beef, chicken, and fish of its own accord. The same is true of other frequently repeated "hacks," such as the In-N-Out Tomato Wrap (does going carb-free need to be so messy and impractical?) and the cataclysm of textures that is the Arby's Meat Mountain.

Nothing is quite as disappointing as veering from your regular tried-and-tested fast food order, only to wind up with a disappointment in return. That's why we decided to do the legwork to narrow down the Wendy's secret menu items that are actually worth your time. Using a combination of online reviews and my own experiences — only the good ones, don't worry – ordering off-menu at Wendy's over the years, here's a shortlist of the secret menu items to try on your next visit.

If you don't like combining your proteins, then you may want to keep scrolling. On the other hand, if you think the only thing better than chicken, beef, or bacon is chowing down on all three at the same time, then you're in the right place. The Barnyard Burger has carved out a not-so-secret legacy for itself by combining the three elements in a single burger, making it the perfect option if you ever find yourself staring at the Wendy's menu, unable to choose just the one burger.

The easiest way to order a Barnyard Burger is to order any burger with bacon, then get a chicken sandwich on the side and manually combine the two. You could also order a chicken sandwich, such as the Asiago Ranch Chicken Club (or the Spicy Asiago Ranch Chicken Club for an added kick), and then simply request a beef patty as an add-on. However you choose to compile your Barnyard Burger, the different meat components work together surprisingly well. As is typically the case with a Wendy's burger, the beef makes for a succulent base, the crispy chicken adds some textural variety, and the crispy bacon gives it a smoky edge. Wendy's itself has acknowledged the burger's existence in the past, but while it may never earn a legitimate spot on the menu, we're just happy it exists in its makeshift form.

Some call it the Grand Slam Burger. Others call it the Meat Cube. Whatever name you prefer, the end result is the same: a huge stack of beef (four square-shaped patties, to be exact) and cheese that is definitely best reserved for the most carnivorous of Wendy's customers.

Ordering the Meat Cube is straightforward enough, simply requiring you to order a Dave's Triple and add a bonus patty. Having tried this out for myself, I'll say that while it can prove a practical challenge to eat, it's much easier to finish than you would think. Chowing down on four beef patties is no small feat, but with Wendy's beef up there with the juiciest, freshest-tasting in the game, it also doesn't feel like a grease overload — or at least not as much as it would at some fast food joints.

It goes without saying, but this burger is definitely best reserved for the days where you're feeling absolutely ravenous. As noted by YouTuber KBDProductionsTV, requesting slices of cheese between each of the four patties is also a must to break up the monotony of the beef. Otherwise, it does feel akin to "biting into a big meatloaf." I'd also recommend keeping a hefty drink on hand, because this much meat in one go will leave you thirsty.

If you thought the Meat Cube was as beefy as a burger could get, think again. As the name suggests, the Wendy's T-Rex Burger is a gargantuan feast of meat, stacking a whopping nine patties and nine slices of cheese atop each other for one heck of a heavy meal. Unlike most secret menu items, it has its roots in a legitimate (albeit short-lived) burger sold at a Wendy's in Manitoba, Canada, in 2013. The chain soon put a stop to this rogue offering, with an administrative assistant for the store quoted by The Globe and Mail as insisting, "Wendy's of Brandon neither condones nor promotes the idea of anyone consuming a nine-patty hamburger in one sitting." However, its legacy lives on to this day.

To order a T-Rex, you'll need to either order extra patties or combine three Dave's Triples. First thing's first, unless you're a snake, you probably can't unhinge your jaw wide enough to get your mouth around the entire burger in one go. As TikToker Anthony Villegas summarized, "It doesn't taste bad. It's just so big. Too big to handle." But that doesn't mean the T-Rex isn't worth a try. While we're not suggesting that you make it your regular order — and we have a feeling any nutritionist would share the sentiment — the T-Rex has established itself as an iconic fast food challenge that's more of a one-off experience than a genius culinary creation. Secret menu items don't get much more iconic.

Wendy's burgers are delicious and so is their chili, so it stands to reason that the two together is a stroke of culinary genius. The first time I tried the Chili Cheeseburger, I was — and still am — surprised that Wendy's is yet to make this an official menu item. More confounding is the fact that its restaurants in the United Arab Emirates have already adopted the idea, while its U.S. restaurants are left wanting. Until the day the Chili Cheeseburger goes Stateside, going down the DIY route is super easy, requiring you to just order the two components separately and combine. Alternatively, you can also simply dunk your burger into your chili.

While there's no guarantee it won't get messy in the process (in fact, it most definitely will), topping your Wendy's burger with chili makes for a flavorful mix. Not only do you get the juiciness of the beef patty, but you get the smokiness of the chili, too. From experience, adding too much of this chili does admittedly taste a bit like sodium overload and overbears the flavor of the actual patty. To keep saltiness in check, and minimize messiness, I recommend adding just the one scoop and using the rest as a side.

Once upon a time, the Valley Crispy Chicken Club was a very real item on the Wendy's menu. Thankfully, everything needed to make the sandwich still exists in-store to this day, meaning you can make your own by ordering a Classic Chicken Sandwich — complete with its standard crispy chicken, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and pickles — and requesting that it's topped with a bonus serving of bacon.

The final product is just as delicious as the long-lost Valley Crispy Chicken Club. Bacon always goes well with chicken, and this is certainly no exception. Wendy's excels at crispy bacon (even if some people think the bacon quality has deteriorated since the chain allegedly switched to pre-cooked strips), with its crunchy finish here acting as the secret ingredient that elevates the Classic Chicken Sandwich from solid to spectacular. Don't just take my word for it; YouTuber Chris Eats Stuff was pleasantly surprised by the secret menu item, claiming, "It's surprisingly better than I thought it was going to be. I'm going to give this one an 8.6 out of 10." Preach.

Wendy's Asiago Ranch Classic Chicken Club takes breaded chicken and combines it with Applewood smoked bacon, Asiago cheese, ranch sauce, lettuce, and tomato to put a tasty spin on a classic sandwich. While the OG is delicious enough, anyone who prefers beef over chicken can customize their own Asiago Beef Burger by ordering the same menu item and requesting to swap out the chicken for one of Wendy's classic never-frozen patties.

It's not quite as easy to secure a beefy version of the Spicy Asiago Ranch Chicken Club, with the sandwich's kick reliant on the spicy breading of the chicken itself. However, if you want to create something close, you can substitute the chicken for beef as usual then request Wendy's Ghost Pepper Ranch sauce to dial up the heat for yourself. The secret menu item is delicious in both forms, but the classic is the better of the two, at least in my opinion. Leaving the focus to the creaminess of the ranch dressing makes for a nice counterpoint to the beef patty's deeper, richer flavor. While it's tough to beat the flavor profile of the Asiago Ranch Classic Chicken Club, this is one of the few twists on the Wendy's menu that may actually improve upon the original.

Dessert and coffee are two of the tastiest vices the world has to offer, so it was a no-brainer that Wendy's would combine the two at some point. In 2023, the chain launched its Frosty Cream Cold Brew — a cold-brewed coffee made with Frosty creamer — that put a caffeinated spin on its iconic sweet treat. Delicious though it may be, it's definitely more of a sweet, slightly denser coffee than it is an actual Frosty. Thankfully, if your dream is to enjoy the regular texture of a Frosty with a caffeine kick, one Wendy's secret menu item makes that possible.

To make a Coffee Frosty, all you need is a Frosty and some form of iced coffee. Some people also recommend using hot coffee to create an affogato-esque dessert. After eating a small amount of the Frosty, you make up the difference by pouring in your beverage. Et voilà: a Coffee Frosty. Like your standard Frosty, this is best consumed with a spoon, not a straw. While the flavor is up to you, vanilla typically makes the best blank canvas for your espresso, similar to the deeply-missed Frosty-ccino. "This is like a legit Frappuccino quality," raved YouTubers KristinAndJamil upon assessing the hack for themselves. "If Starbucks gave me this, I would be like, yes, I'll pay $3.50 for a Grande. Maybe even up to four."

A Quadruple Baconator does exactly what it says on the tin. While the standard Wendy's Baconator takes a half-pound of beef and stacks it with cheese, six strips of Applewood bacon, ketchup, and mayonnaise, this secret menu item doubles the beef and bacon content in the already meaty burger.

You can go through the effort of requesting the extra patties and bacon or manually constructing your burger after ordering two Baconators, but this is one of the few secret menu items that Wendy's customers report being able to successfully order by name. Unsurprisingly, the 12 strips of bacon mean the Quadruple Baconator is extremely salty, so if that's not to your taste, then this is probably a secret menu item best skipped. At the same time, 12 strips of bacon is also an indulgence that, sodium levels aside, hits the spot if you're looking for a truly decadent fast food experience.

Floats are a frequent feature on fast food secret menus, with fans of chains like McDonald's, In-N-Out, and Chick-fil-A sharing hacks to order your own. In New Zealand, Wendy's customers are able to order a float directly from the menu, while locations in Guam briefly offered Coca-Cola or root beer floats in 2024. There was also a time when its U.S. restaurants officially offered float variations of both the Chocolate and Vanilla Frosty. Now, however, the vast majority of Wendy's customers live in float-free territory, which is why this one simple hack is so good to know.

Next time the float cravings strike, order a Frosty and your soda of choice and mix. It's simple, yet effective — and technically creates two portions seeing as how you'll be working with both a full-size soda and full-size Frosty. While everyone has their personal preferences, some combos are undeniably tastier than others, with Fanta Orange and a Vanilla Frosty getting my vote for its creamsicle-style flavor. If you're feeling extra nostalgic, you can also order a Barq's Root Beer and a Vanilla Frosty to create a makeshift root bear float. Wendy's itself endorsed this float hack back in 2021, which means it knows we're craving floats but is simply choosing not to give the people what they want. Still, at least we have an easy DIY fix in the meantime.

Compared to some of the other items on this list, the BBQ Cheeseburger seems almost deceptively simple. Barbecue sauce, cheese, and beef are such a natural combo that it feels odd that it isn't already covered by Wendy's broad net of menu items. The chain has introduced several barbecue burgers in the past, but with none listed on the menu as of right now, that leaves us to fill in the gaps.

Securing a Wendy's BBQ Cheeseburger is more straightforward than the majority of secret menu items. When ordering the cheeseburger of your choice — whether that's a Jr. Cheeseburger or a Dave's Single — all you need to do is ask for your burger to be topped with Wendy's Barbecue Sauce. Simple. If you're feeling shy, you can also just pick up a tub of sauce for yourself to DIY your burger.

It's worth the effort. The sweet and smoky flavor complements Wendy's juicy beef perfectly, begging the question of why the chain doesn't just introduce a permanent barbecue option to its menu (hint, hint, Wendy's). If you're keen to customize your cheeseburger but aren't so keen on barbecue, you can take a similar approach with other Wendy's sauces. In addition to barbecue, the chain also offers Blue Cheese, Honey Mustard, and Ghost Pepper Ranch, all of which make decent additions to any burger or sandwich.

Highlighting the best of Wendy's secret menu items meant letting our taste buds do the talking. For the most part, at least. Personal experience guided a lot of the final picks, having tried — and tried, and tried — the vast majority of these items in the past, forming some pretty passionate opinions about what is and isn't worth the effort along the way.

In addition to relying on personal experience, reviews from fellow customers played an important role. Feedback, both positive and negative, shaped the choices in this article, with only the items that are praised for their flavor, creativity, or cult status (hence the T-Rex's inclusion) making the final cut. Any secret menu item that requires ingredients not currently stocked at Wendy's was also eliminated from the running, such as the Cinnabacon Bites and the Sriracha Chicken Sandwich.

The final cut may not be an exhaustive list of all the secret menu items worth trying at Wendy's. After all, the most important thing is that a dish appeals to you and your stomach alone. However, it does cover those tasty or popular enough to consistently keep customers coming back for more, which is proof in itself that they're worth a try.