What On Earth Is A 'Gorilla Style' Burger At In-N-Out?

In-N-Out is more than just a drive thru ... it's a way of life. Just ask Gordon Ramsay, who claims it serves his favorite fast food burger. There's a lot to love about In-N-Out, including the fact that the chain's locations never use microwaves, and the simple but oh-so-hackable menu. In-N-Out customers have a seemingly insatiable need to engineer more and more ludicrous and tasty combinations from the limited items that In-N-Out provides. The latest might just be the viral "gorilla style" burger, seen all over social media.

Basically, a gorilla-style burger has either three or four patties (depending on who you ask), an abundance of cheese, and a mass of animal-style fries filling out the middle. It's large, in charge, and tremendously messy. Let's break it down. You order a "double double" burger, which consists of two patties and two slices of cheese (or a single cheeseburger). Then, you order a "Flying Dutchman." Wondering what that is? It's a protein-style burger consisting of just two patties and two slices of cheese. You also order animal-style fries, which are loaded in grilled onions and In-N-Out signature spread. Finally, you concoct your Frankenburger to make it gorilla-style. The Dutchman and the fries all go between the halves of the double double.

Let's make one thing clear: there's a high likelihood that, if you go through the In-N-Out drive thru and ask for a gorilla-style burger, the employees won't know what you are talking about. Common courtesy and common sense alike suggest that you order the three component items (the double double, the Flying Dutchman, and the animal-style fries) separately, and then assemble your King Kong-tastic gorilla-style burger in the privacy of your own car ... when safely parked, of course. While employees are conversant in the "not so secret menu," which is In-N-Out official, gorilla-style burgers are not canon.

Adding to this is the fact that some folks can't even agree on what constitutes gorilla-style in the first place. A Reddit thread innocently asked "Am I the only one getting 'Gorilla Style'?" and ignited a firestorm of comments. The Redditor described their take on gorilla-style as a double double with added chopped chilies and ketchup — which is to say, a handheld much simpler than the widely-accepted notion of gorilla-style involving fries and copious beef patties. 

Still, the comments were dismissive at best. "Because 'gorilla style' is not a thing," one Redditor opined. "If you come into my store and order gorilla style I'm ketchup frying your burger and pulling it at 2 minutes," snarked another self-professed employee. The vast majority of In-N-Out employees want to make you happy (at least, to the extent that they keep their jobs), so do them a solid and don't subject them to a customization of which they may never have heard. By all means, explore the jungles of fast food with your gorilla-style burger, but make it a DIY experience.