“Give your fork a break … new wraps are here,” claims Sweetgreen. And several other restaurant chains are encouraging customers to do the same, as wraps take over menus this week. Consumers continue to seek portable, handheld items and wraps keep emerging as a popular way to make that happen. And when wraps are trending, sauces can’t be far behind. But pizza, beverages and meaty items are on the move, too. Take a look at the latest menu news and trends.
Wrapping it up
How to make a salad more portable? Wrap it in an olive oil tortilla and it’s good to grab and go. That’s what Sweetgreen did this week, when it rolled out four chicken wraps, formerly in test, to all its locations. The choices include a Classic Chicken Caesar Wrap with Parmesan crisps, shaved Parmesan, garlic breadcrumbs and romaine in Caesar dressing; a Chicken Jalapeño Ranch Wrap with rice, corn salsa, white cheddar and pickled onions with spicy charred jalapeño ranch; a Cali Chicken Club Wrap with avocado, bacon, tomatoes, romaine and garlic aioli; and a KBBQ Chicken Wrap with a Korean flavor profile that combines chicken with rice, napa slaw, apple kimchi sauce, crispy onion and Korean barbecue sauce drizzle.
At Tropical Smoothie Café, wraps are called rolls, but the idea is the same. There’s a choice of three, all in a toasted flour tortilla, including the Hawaiian Heat Toasted Snack Roll with grilled chicken, cheddar cheese, pineapple salsa and jerk sauce; Bacon Chipotle Chicken Toasted Snack Roll with chicken, bacon, cheddar and chipotle mayo; and Turkey Bacon Dijon Toasted Snack Roll with turkey, bacon, cheddar and honey Dijon. All are joining the permanent menu.
Chicken seems to be playing a starring role in wrap creation. Popeyes brings back its Chicken Wrap, which features a fried chicken tender in a buttermilk tortilla with lettuce, shredded cheese and pickle chips with three spread options—classic, spicy or blackened ranch. Fans can order up the wrap anytime, as it is now on the permanent menu along with a Honey Barbecue Chicken Sandwich and Honey Barbecue Bacon + Cheese Sandwich, where pickle chips, bacon and Havarti cheese are layered with the fried chicken breast on a brioche bun.
Jimmy John’s also encloses chicken in a wrap, this time with Southeast Asian accents. The Thai Chicken Wrap is composed of rotisserie-style roasted chicken, carrots, cucumber, onion, lettuce, Thai satay sauce and mayo in a flour tortilla. For dessert, there’s a Lemon Strawberry Burst Cookie.
Grilled steak, blue cheese dressing and veggies fill a wrap at Saladworks. | Photo courtesy of Saladworks
The Black & Blue Grilled Wrap comes to the permanent menu at Saladworks, along with a bunch of new salads and bowls. This wrap is filled with grilled steak, blue cheese crumbles, roasted red peppers, crispy onions, spinach and blue cheese dressing. The steak also makes an appearance in a Steakhouse Salad with a creamy garlic herb dressing, a Steak & Cheddar Melt sandwich and Fire-grilled Steak Double Protein Bowl with roasted butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, goat cheese and creamy garlic herb dressing over wild rice. Two other double protein bowls focus on other proteins—Sweet Chili Shrimp and Hot Honey Chicken.
Pizza riffs and variations
It’s a busy time for pizza innovation, too. Blaze Pizza is partnering with Volpi prosciutto for a limited time on an “Italian Escape” menu. The imported prosciutto shows up on several items, including a Prosciutto Pizza with fresh mozzarella, arugula, balsamic caramelized onions and fig glaze, as well as a Prosciutto Pizzetta, a smaller pizza topped with shredded mozzarella, Gorgonzola and balsamic caramelized onions, served with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil for dipping. There’s also a Strawberry Prosciutto Salad.
Volpi prosciutto enhances a pizza, pizzette and salad at Blaze Pizza. | Photo courtesy of Blaze Pizza
A Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza returns to Casey’s, the convenience store that’s giving pizza concepts stiff competition. This pie is topped with melted cheese, beef, bacon, pickles, onions and Thousand Island dressing.
A Mexican and Italian mashup is on offer at Via 313 in the form of an Elote Pizza. It’s topped with roasted corn, bacon, cotija cheese, Tajín and cilantro lime ranch dressing. And Marco’s is tapping the Big Apple for a NY Style Pizza topped with crushed tomatoes, mozzarella and pepperoni on an extra-thin crust, finished with garlic sauce and Parmesan.
Mellow Mushroom, a hip concept known for its inventive pizzas, is going in a salad direction this week. New on the menu is the Asian Crunch Salad with shredded romaine and cabbage, cucumbers, peppers, pineapple, fried onions, wontons, cilantro, lime and Asian dressing, with the option to add fried Thai chili chicken for extra protein. There’s also an Apple Harvest Salad with shredded romaine, apples, white cheddar, sheep's milk feta, dried cherries, candied pecans and pumpkin seeds with balsamic vinaigrette. Guests can pair the new salads with a dozen new alcoholic drinks, ranging from a Spicy Mango Margarita to a Peachy Pineapple Spritz and Vanilla Cream Cola spiked with vodka and Jack Daniels and topped with cold foam.
Meaty and liquid assets
Protein continues to be in demand, and chains are innovating around meat. Golden Corral is debuting a new Grilled Bacon Cheddar Ranch Chicken Breast and Spicy Southwest Sausage at lunch, the latter boasting a kick of bold spice. At dinner, there’s a charred Grilled Pork Steak finished with a spicy orange glaze, which joins the buffet’s Signature Carved Sirloin. It’s all part of Golden Corral’s Backyard Grill menu promotion. Tropical dragon fruit beverages are ready to quench thirsts, in lemonade, citrus splash and iced tea flavors.
A grilled pork steak at Golden Corral gives guests a protein option other than beef or chicken. | Photo courtesy of Golden Corral
Protein-centric Campfire Meals are back at Cracker Barrel, with chicken and beef leading the lineup. Campfire Chicken features a marinated half-chicken with proprietary “campfire spices” slow-cooked in foil with corn on the cob, red-skin potatoes, carrots, grape tomatoes and onions, while Campfire Beef includes beef braised in foil with vegetables and spices. Both are served with buttermilk biscuits and cornbread muffins. Also launching are three skillets: Campfire Breakfast Skillet, S’mores Brownie Skillet and Cinnamon Roll Skillet. And watermelon flavors the beverage side, with the rollout of a Watermelon Lemonade and Watermelon Mimosa.
Walk-Ons Sports Bistreaux is menuing Tuscan Chicken, a blackened breast topped with Tuscan-style salsa made with diced tomatoes, minced garlic, chopped basil, olive oil, balsamic and salt and pepper. It’s sided by broccoli and seasoned rice. To sip, there’s a Lemon Basil Spritz with gin, elderflower and prosecco and a White Peach Fizz.
Pasta gets pumped up with extra protein at Noodles & Company with Chicken Artichoke and Asparagus Rigatoni. The tubular pasta is tossed with chicken and the two vegetables, plus a garlic-herb sauce developed in collaboration with celeb Chrissy Teigen.
Here's a gallery of more trends and news of the week.
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