Lion’s Choice secret menu guide: every off-menu roast beef hack, the #Tomkospecial, exact ordering scripts, prices, and availability.
Lion’s Choice Secret Menu Guide 2026
Lion’s Choice has no official secret menu, but the roast beef chain’s regulars order famous off-menu builds like the #Tomkospecial: a large roast beef sandwich with extra seasoning, Swiss cheese, barbecue sauce, and fries piled on top. Add extra beef ounces for $1.50 each, swap in Texas toast, and raid the sauce bar to build your own.
Here’s the thing about the Lion’s Choice secret menu. Most chains with a “secret menu” just have a couple of viral hacks floating around online. Lion’s Choice is different. This St. Louis roast beef institution practically runs on customization. The roast beef is shaved to order, there’s a whole sauce bar with an au jus dispenser just sitting there begging to be used, and the crew is used to people ordering their sandwich exactly the way they want it. So while there’s no printed secret menu to photograph, there IS a real culture of off-menu ordering, and I dug into what regulars actually get.
If you haven’t seen the main lineup yet, start with our full Lion’s Choice menu with prices so you know the base sandwiches these hacks build on.
What Is on the Lion’s Choice Secret Menu?
The Lion’s Choice secret menu is unofficial, but it absolutely exists in the wild. It’s made up of customer creations and employee recipes: the legendary #Tomkospecial, the sandwich that inspired The Remix, Texas toast swaps, extra-ounce beef upgrades, and sauce bar combinations. None of these are on the printed menu, but the staff at all 26 locations know how to build them.
Why doesn’t Lion’s Choice have an official hidden menu? Honestly, they don’t need one. The whole ordering flow is already built like a custom sandwich shop. You tell them the size (Original, Large with 45% more beef on a steak bun, or King with double the beef), you tell them hot or cold, you pick your toppings and sauces. That means the “secret menu” is really just knowing which combinations are worth asking for. That’s what this guide is: the combinations.
The #Tomkospecial: The Original Lion’s Choice Secret Menu Legend
Every real secret menu has an origin story, and this one is great. Back in 2010, a St. Louis resident named Michael Tomko posted his specialty order on Twitter: a large roast beef sandwich with extra seasoning, Swiss cheese, barbecue sauce, and a pile of fries on top. It blew up. Lion’s Choice itself shared the hack, and there was even talk of a tweetup where #Tomkospecial lovers could meet for lunch.
How to order the #Tomkospecial
Walk up and say: “Can I get a large roast beef, extra seasoning, Swiss cheese, barbecue sauce, and throw some fries on top?”
That’s the whole script. You can also order it through the app or drive-thru the same way. A few tips:
Stick with the large. The hack was invented on the large, and the bigger bun handles the loaded toppings better than the original size. The steak bun on the large is sturdier.
Ask for the fries on the side if you want crunch. Fries piled on top of a hot sandwich soften fast. If you like them crispy, get them on the side and add them yourself at the table.
Barbecue sauce comes from the sauce bar. If the crew looks confused, just say you’ll hit the sauce bar yourself. It’s one of the sauce options there, so it’s easy.
Lion’s Choice Roast Beef Hacks Employees Swear By
The Remix, one of the biggest hits on the current menu, actually started as an employee hack. The CEO tried a crew member’s version of the roast beef sandwich on Texas toast and liked it so much he brought it to the company founder. Now it’s a permanent menu item. So if you’re hunting the Lion’s Choice hidden menu, the employee playbook is exactly where to look.
The Texas Toast Swap
This is the hack that became The Remix. Order your roast beef sandwich on Texas toast instead of the standard bun: “Original roast beef, but on Texas toast instead of the bun.” It’s buttered and toasted until it caramelizes, and it completely changes the sandwich. If you want the full employee version, add two slices of Swiss and garlic aioli, which is now a standard sauce option.
Extra Ounces of Beef
Did you know you can just… buy more beef? Lion’s Choice sells additional ounces of roast beef for $1.50 per ounce, and you can pile it right onto your sandwich. Just say: “Add two extra ounces of beef to that.” It’s the cheapest way to turn an Original into a heavyweight. This is the secret behind half the “giant sandwich” photos regulars post online.
The Sauce Bar Run
The sauce bar is the most underused weapon at Lion’s Choice. There’s an au jus dispenser sitting right there. Order a French Dip style build by getting your roast beef with au jus for dipping, or go full custom: honey horseradish sauce (the stuff on the Triple Dare), barbecue, and au jus all on one sandwich. Regulars mix sauces on the side all the time. Nobody blinks.
Fries on Everything
The #Tomkospecial started it, but regulars put the natural-cut fries on way more than roast beef. Trashed Fries (fries loaded with chili cheese or Italian beef toppings) are on the menu, but off-menu fans stack fries onto the turkey sandwich, the El Cubano, and the pulled pork. Order your fries on the side and build it yourself at the table so they stay crisp.
Lion’s Choice Secret Menu Prices and Customization Cheat Sheet
One catch: secret menu builds are priced by their components, so what you pay depends on your starting sandwich. Here’s how the most popular Lion’s Choice secret menu prices break down.
| Secret Menu Hack | How to Order It | Extra Cost |
|---|---|---|
| #Tomkospecial | Large roast beef, extra seasoning, Swiss cheese, barbecue sauce, fries on top | ~$1-2 |
| Extra beef ounces | “Add two extra ounces of beef” | $1.50/oz |
| Texas toast swap | “On Texas toast instead of the bun” | Free |
| Remix-style build | Original roast beef, garlic aioli, 2x Swiss, Texas toast | ~$1 |
| Au jus side | Ask for au jus from the sauce bar for dipping | Free |
| DIY loaded fries | Fries with Italian beef or chili cheese toppings | ~$2-3 |
3 Tips Before You Try the Lion’s Choice Hidden Menu
1. Keep it simple at the drive-thru. These builds work best in person or in the app, where you can take your time. A complicated off-menu order at a busy drive-thru speaker is how sandwiches get built wrong.
2. Not every location phrases things the same way. All 26 locations know how to build these, but the exact charge for extras can vary a bit by store. If a price surprises you, ask before they start building. No harm in that.
3. Check prices against the main menu. Secret menu math only works if you know the base prices. Compare your build to the standard sizes on our Lion’s Choice menu with prices so you’re actually saving money and not just guessing.
Prices last verified: October 11, 2026. Customization upcharges can vary by location; confirm at your store. See the official menu for the current lineup at lionschoice.com/menu.
Lion’s Choice Secret Menu FAQs
Does Lion’s Choice have a secret menu?
Not an official one. There’s no printed Lion’s Choice secret menu, but there’s a well-known set of customer creations like the #Tomkospecial, plus employee hacks like the Texas toast swap that became The Remix. The staff knows how to build all of them if you ask.
What is the #Tomkospecial at Lion’s Choice?
The #Tomkospecial is a large roast beef sandwich with extra seasoning, Swiss cheese, barbecue sauce, and fries piled on top. It was invented by a customer in 2010, went viral on Twitter, and was shared by Lion’s Choice itself. Order it by describing the build at the counter or drive-thru.
Can I get extra meat at Lion’s Choice and what does it cost?
Yes. You can add extra ounces of roast beef to any sandwich for about $1.50 per ounce. Just tell the crew how many extra ounces you want. It’s the cheapest way to upgrade an Original toward King-sized territory without buying the King.
Is the Lion’s Choice secret menu available at all locations?
Yes, in practice. Since these are customizations rather than official items, any of the 26 Lion’s Choice locations can build them from standard ingredients. Availability of specific sauces can vary, so the sauce bar is worth a look before you order.
