Sweet heat continues to trend on menus, with popular Mike’s Hot Honey flavoring several new items. But to counteract all the heat, there are plenty of cooling foods and beverages making their way onto menus. Look for new frozen desserts, shakes, smoothies, bowls and cocktails filled with flavors in sync with the season.
Panda Express collaborated with Mike’s Hot Honey to launch Chili Crisp Chicken. The limited-time offer draws inspiration from Chongqing chicken, a dish known for its spicy flavor profile. Chili Crisp Chicken is a toss of crispy chicken, green bell peppers, onions and dried chilis in the wok, and is then combined with spicy chili crisp garlic sauce and finished with a drizzle of Mike’s Hot Honey.
Crispy Chicken Nuggets at Taco Bell can now be ordered with a new dipping sauce: Mike’s Hot Honey Diablo Sauce. The flavor profile is a blend of sweet chili heat and smoky Diablo spice. Mike’s Hot Honey is also infusing menu items with sweet heat at Juice It Up. The chain is offering an extra hot drizzle to guests as an add-on for acai bowls, smoothies and toasts for a limited time.
On a milder note, Moe’s Southwest Grill introduces Chile Verde Carnitas, a new protein with a slightly spicy flavor profile. Tender cuts of pork are simmered in tomatillos, green chiles, garlic and onion, for a subtle spice that balances well with Moe’s house-made tomatillo salsa. For a limited time, shredded Chile Verde Carnitas can be added to any burrito, bowl, taco or other entree at an additional cost.
Chile Verde Carnitas arrived on Moe's menu. | Photo courtesy of Moe's Southwest Grill.
The fan-favorite Smashburger has been added to the permanent menu at Ted’s Montana Grill. It features two three-ounce beef or bison patties, diced red onions, Ted’s proprietary seasoning, three slices of melted American cheese, house-made pickle slices and Ted’s signature ranch sauce. Guests can sip a new craft cocktail along with their burger, choosing a Snowcrest Cosmopolitan made with vodka, Cointreau, lime juice, cranberry and a lime twist, or an Agave Old Fashioned, featuring silver tequila, agave nectar, Angostura bitters, black cherry and orange over ice. Ted’s also launched a new catering menu.
Summer has arrived at Gott’s Roadside. Through July 2, the QSR is offering two limited-time items. The Grilled Pineapple Burger is topped with Jack cheese, grilled pineapple, roasted onions, jalapeños, green cabbage & cilantro slaw, and spicy mayo on a butter-toasted sesame brioche bun. For dessert, there’s the Cherry Cobbler Parfait featuring Straus Organic vanilla soft serve topped with house-made Morello cherry compote and pecan crunch.
Fresca salads and wraps have joined the menu at El Pollo Loco. Both formats offer two choices. The first is Citrus Avocado Fresca, a combo of super greens blend with spinach and lettuce topped with citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chopped chicken breast, sliced avocados, crumbled cotija cheese, shredded red cabbage and carrots, and house-made salsa fresca, served with a new signature citrus vinaigrette—a mix of lemon, lime and orange. There’s also Mexican Cobb Fresca with the same base of greens topped with citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chopped chicken breast, sliced avocados, bacon, roasted corn and red peppers, and crumbled cotija cheese, served with creamy cilantro dressing. Customers can opt to fill a bowl or whole wheat tortilla with either.
Golden Chick's new Pimento Crunchwich. | Photo courtesy of Golden Chick.
The Pimento Crunchwich is new at Golden Chick through Aug. 3. The sandwich packs flavor and texture into each bite, with its build of hand-breaded crispy chicken, creamy pimento cheese spread, crunchy jalapeño crisps and extra-thick pickles. The chain’s innovation goal was to elevate a Southern staple without adding much prep.
The ‘Ohana Breeze Smoothie is Tropical Smoothie Café’s first collaboration with Disney, timed with the release of live-action “Lilo and Stitch” on Friday. The colorful smoothie is a blend of pineapple, mango, banana, orange juice and blue spirulina and comes in two sizes—12 ounces for kids and 24 ounces for adults.
Krispy Kreme is also going with a character theme with the debut of its Krispy Kreme x Pac-Man doughnut collaboration. The promotion features three doughnuts, including the Pac-Man Party Doughnut, a glazed doughnut piped with yellow icing and topped with celebration sprinkles and a Pac-Man piece; the Team Ghost Doughnut filled with chocolate crème, dipped in black icing and decorated with a maze and Team Ghosts piece; and the Strawberry Power Berry Doughnut filled with strawberry flavored crème, dipped in red icing and topped with white sprinkles and green leaf icing. 
Pac-Man-themed Doughnuts at Krispy Kreme.| Photo courtesy of Krispy Kreme.
Another collaboration in the works is between Giordano’s and Buona Beef on the new Italian Beef Pizza. The two iconic Chicago restaurant brands joined forces to launch the item on National Italian Beef Day, which falls on Saturday. The 10-inch stuffed crust pizza is made with Buona’s Italian beef topped with hot giardiniera and packed with nearly a full pound of cheese for Giordano’s famous cheese pull.
Red Pepper Mango Salsa is the latest addition to the menu at Panchero’s. The sweet and spicy condiment is a mix of red peppers, Roma tomatoes, mango, lime juice, chili powder, garlic, salt and cayenne pepper. It’s available though June 22 at all 77 locations.
Starting Friday and running through Sept. 1, Punch Bowl Social is offering a Summer Spritz menu in partnership with Aperol. Three summery drinks are available: the classic Aperol Spritz; a Coconut Spritz made with Espolòn tequila and lime; and a Kiwi Strawberry Spritz, sparkling with fresh fruit balanced by slightly bitter Aperol. Ten locations will host patio/bar pop-ups with themed Aperol Spritz décor and swag giveaways.
Rush Bowls introduced infused lemonades called Revivers. | Photo courtesy of Rush Bowls.
Infused lemonades called Revivers have landed on Rush Bowls’ menu for a limited time. The drinks are made with real lemon juice, agave and fresh fruit and come in a variety of flavors, including Blueberry Basil, Pineapple Spirulina and Mango Dragon Fruit.
Chuck E. Cheese introduced its first-ever ice cream flavor from Dippin’ Dots this month. Called Chuck E.'s Cookie Crunch, the frozen treat is purple in color and packed with crunchy bits of cookie. It’s available exclusively at Chuck E. Cheese fun centers nationwide year-round.
The Dubai Chocolate Sundae in test from Marble Slab Creamery is a takeoff on the TikTok sensation, the Dubai chocolate bar. It combines Sweet Cream ice cream in a chocolate-dipped, pistachio dusted waffle bowl or cone topped with chocolate, pistachio butter, broken waffle pieces, and a dusting of ground pistachios.
The summer of sweetness continues at Sammy’s Sliders, with the debut of the Orange Sunset Ice Cream Shake. It’s a blend of orange juice and vanilla ice cream topped with whipped cream, patterned after a summer favorite, the orange creamsicle. The shake is available through Aug 11, but the new Garlic Parm Slider with chicken, Swiss and bacon, runs only through June 9.
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