Football season is here, and restaurants are ready to feed fans with gameday fare. Plus, with the end of summer quickly approaching, more fall flavors are trickling onto menus, including the ever-popular pumpkin spice. And tacos, burgers, sushi and desserts are getting a seasonal spin.
Nothing Bundt Cakes is teaming up with sports broadcaster Erin Andrews for a Score Some Joy Sweepstakes, starring the new Touchdown Bundtinis or Bundtlets. The rich chocolate cakes feature chopped Snickers candy bars inside and sprinkled on top, and are finished with a drizzle of caramel sauce. To enter the sweepstakes, customers purchase the cakes and upload their receipt for a chance to win a trip for two to the Big Game. Andrews is spotlighting the Touchdown cakes as a treat for football celebrations, promoting connection, tradition and sharing on game days.
The NFL season kicks off at Applebee’s with a New Ultimate Trio. Guests can create their own samplers by mixing and matching three appetizers and three dipping sauces for $14.99. There are 10 apps and 10 sauces to choose from, including mozzarella sticks, chicken wontons, riblets and chicken quesadillas to pair with honey barbecue, sweet Asian chile, chipotle lime salsa, classic Buffalo and more. The chain is also introducing $6 NFL Sips, including the boozy Juicy Sweep Sangria and Rummin’ Back Daq as well as three new nonalcoholic dirty sodas.
The Pick 6 deal from Buffalo Wild Wings offers fans the choice of two appetizers, two entrees and two fountain drinks for $19.99. Entrees include the new Spicy Chicken Dippers as well as 10 boneless wings and a cheeseburger paired with tots, fries or wedges. For $3 more, there’s a Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwich or Beer Cheese Cheesesteak, and another $5 buys a Honey BBQ Chicken Salad, 10 Traditional Wings or Triple Bacon Cheeseburger.
$15 Fireside Favorites at Lazy Dog.
Value meals continue to be a driving force in casual dining, with Lazy Dog Restaurant launching its version in the form of $15 Fireside Favorites. Available on weekdays, the combo includes a scratch-made entrée such as Fried Chicken Dinner, Mediterranean Chicken Bowl, Grilled Shrimp Tacos and Fettucine Alfredo, with a S’More Brownie Sundae for dessert as part of the deal.
The Crispy Onion Whopper launches at Burger King Tuesday, the second entry in the chain’s guest-inspired “Whopper by You” platform. The burger is topped with lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, melted American Cheese, bacon, pickles, fried onion rings, crispy onions and a sweet-and-smoky barbecue sauce; it’s priced at $7.99 with a Whopper Jr. starting at $4.79. Customers with ideas for the next Whopper can share them at BK.com/WBY. The first winner was the BBQ Brisket Whopper.
Burger King's Crispy Onion Whopper.
A breakfast taco is the WTF (Weekly Taco Feature) at Velvet Taco, launched in partnership with Kidd’s Kids, a Dallas nonprofit supporting children with life-altering health conditions. Called “The Morning Show,” it’s a sweet and savory combo of crispy chicken tenders, scrambled eggs, cheesy tot hash, peppered bacon and maple syrup wrapped in a tie-dye tortilla. A portion of sales will go to the nonprofit. Also making news are the two winning taco creations from the chain’s team members, on the menu for the next two weeks. The finalists are a Mango Thai Chicken Taco with grilled chicken thighs, mango salad, coconut rice and cilantro on a flour tortilla, and the Hot Stepper, featuring Angus beef brisket, jerk mayo, mango habanero salsa and jalapeño cheese on a crusted tortilla.
Cheesy Street Chalupas returned nationwide to Taco Bell’s menu. The Chalupa, an evolution of the fan-favorite Quesalupa, can be ordered with slow-roasted chicken or marinated steak, topped with onions, cilantro and Jalapeño Ranch enclosed in a warm, cheesy Quesalupa-inspired shell. The item is available for a limited time, priced at $5.49, or can be included in the $9 Luxe Cravings Box.
Potbelly's "secret" Pork BBQ Mac
An underground menu item is seeing the light of day, earning a permanent spot on Potbelly’s app-only menu. Pork BBQ Mac features three-cheese mac ‘n cheese topped with slow-cooked pulled pork and a drizzle of sweet heat barbecue sauce. The secret selection of items also includes several sandwiches: the Lucky 7, Clubby, Barnyard and Wrecking Ball.
Fall is flavoring the menu at Perkins American Food Co. with comforting items moving in. There’s a new BBQ Pot Roast Burger, Loaded Pot Roast Totchos and Pot Roast Breakfast Skillet, along with the returning Pot Roast Melt and Traditional Classic Pot Roast. The family-dining chain is also going all in on pumpkin with a new Pumpkin Spice Coffee, and on the food side, the comeback of the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Mammoth Muffin and Classic Pumpkin Pie. Fresh-baked donuts are in the mix as well, including Wildberry Pie and Apple Fritters.
Pumpkin is back at Caribou Coffee, too. All the beverages are made with real pumpkin and include the new Iced White Mocha with Pumpkin Cold Foam along with such previous stars as the Pumpkin Espresso Shaker, Pumpkin White Mocha, Pumpkin Crafted Press and Pumpkin Chai. Apple vies with pumpkin for menu attention with a lineup of Honeycrisp Apple Caramel High Rise, Honeycrisp Apple Caramel Espresso Shaker, Honeycrisp Apple Energy Drink and Honeycrisp Apple Caramel Oatmilk Steamer. On the food side, a French Toast Sandwich, Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin and Apple Cinnamon Pastry join the menu.
Pumpkin comes to MOD Pizza Monday with the return of the Pumpkin Spice No Name Cake. The limited-time sweet is a pumpkin-spiced cake wrapped around a cream filling, all coated in a sweet, autumnal glaze.
The Atlantic Lobster Roll form Rock N Roll Sushi.
Lobsterpalooza has arrived at Rock N Roll Sushi, with several sushi rolls, nigiri and specialty dishes incorporating fresh lobster. Of note is the Atlantic Lobster Roll, which includes a tempura-fried kanikama stick and shredded crab inside and topped with spicy lobster claw salad and fresh jalapeños, while the Rocked Lobster Roll encloses lobster and cucumber and is topped with avocado, sriracha, tobiko, crunchy flakes, sesame seeds and house-made ginger sauce.
JINYA Ramen Bar is mashing up Japanese and Italian cuisines with its latest menu item, created through a partnership with QCP, know on social media as the “Pasta King.” Ciao Ramen blends tomato sauce with creamy chicken broth and is finished tableside with grated Parmesan. On the drinks side, TikTok’s “Margarita Queen,” Julianna McIntosh, mixed up the Jul-A-Rita, an Aperol-tequila-grapefruit cocktail topped with Prosecco and garnished with a candied strawberry and Pop Rocks.
Krispy Kreme ties into the Harry Potter movie.
The new Harry Potter movie inspired the doughnut collection from Krispy Kreme, themed to the four iconic Hogwarts houses. The Gryffindor Doughnut is a shell doughnut filled with cookie butter-flavored creme, dipped in red icing and cookie crumble and topped with golden icing drizzles and the Gryffindor crest; Slytherin Doughnut is a glazed original topped with chocolate and green buttercreme swirls, chocolate cookie sugar blend and the Slytherin crest; Hufflepuff Doughnut is filled with brown butter toffee flavored custard, dipped in yellow icing and topped with black chocolate drizzle, cookie crunch and the Hufflepuff crest; and Ravenclaw Doughnut is a glazed original dipped in blueberry-flavored icing and topped with sprinkles and the Ravenclaw crest.
And to close out summer, Graeter’s Ice Cream released it final bonus flavor in its summer Bake Shop Collection. Caramel Pecan Cheesecake is a blend of mascarpone ice cream, praline pecans, caramel truffles and cheesecake pieces for a balance of sweetness, crunch and richness. The Bake Shop Collection celebrates summertime nostalgia.
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