Jamba, Dutch Bros, Dunkin' and Tim Horton's offer seasonal sips

Halloween is barely in the rearview mirror, but as soon as Mariah Carey declared “it’s time” on Nov. 1, restaurant chains were ready with winter holiday menus. Beverages are the busiest category, with Christmas-themed coffees, teas, shakes and smoothies. Thanksgiving is getting some attention too, with turkey-centric dishes and catering options. But the winter holidays are still weeks away, and some concepts continue to launch menu items with fall flavors.

Two festive smoothies have arrived at Jamba. Cranberry Pomegranate is a sweet-tart blend of cranberry, pomegranate and citrus flavors layered over sweet coconut whip, while Cranberry Pomegranate Ginger blends a scoop of ginger into the combo. Both are available through Jan. 6.

Dutch Bros offers a trio of holiday-themed beverages, starting with Hazelnut Truffle Mocha crowned with Soft Top and caramel drizzle. Candy Cane Mocha features peppermint mocha with a Soft Top garnished with candy cane sprinks, and the Winter Shimmer Rebel offers a spin on the chain’s energy drink by blending blue raspberry and sweet cream topped with shimmer sprinks. Six festive cups designed with snowflakes, candy canes, ornaments and more extend the holiday cheer.

New at Tim Horton’s are Holiday Chai Lattes, available hot or iced in a choice of peppermint or gingerbread flavors. They join the returning Peppermint Mocha Latte and Gingerbread Oatmilk Latte. On the food side, Tim’s is introducing a Snowman Donut and Holiday Sugar Dream Cookie infused with red and green sprinkles. Coming back for the season are a Holiday Tree Donut and Hot Cocoa Crumble Muffin.

The Holiday Cookie Signature Latte makes its debut at Dunkin’. The seasonal coffee is a blend of espresso, milk and notes of butter cookies and toasted almond, topped with whipped cream, caramel and cookie butter crumbles. White Hazelnut Bark Coffee is also new this season, as is an Almond Croissant and Hash Brown Brisket Scramble. Returning favorites include Cookie Butter Cold Brew and its food partner, the Cookie Butter Donut, and Peppermint Mocha and Toasted White Chocolate Signature Lattes. Through Dec. 25, Dunkin’ is offering Free Donut Wednesdays with the purchase of a beverage.

Three drinks and a muffin bring the holiday spirit to Elliano’s Coffee. Peppermint White Mocha combines espresso, white chocolate and peppermint, while Toffee Carmella is a blend of espresso, toffee and caramel sauce; both are available hot, iced and frozen. The Mint Cookie Freezer is a frosty blend of mint and chocolate cookies, and the French Toast Muffin is coated with cinnamon-sugar.

A Candy Cane Crunch mix-in is available at Five Guys for a limited time. The mix-in is made from real candy cane pieces and has a strong peppermint flavor and crunchy texture when added to any of the chain’s milkshakes. Each shake is then topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with more candy cane pieces. 

The Holiday Shakes menu at Shake Shack includes three decked-out treats. The Christmas Cookie Shake makes a return appearance, joined by a Chocolate Yule Log Shake and Apple Cider Donut Shake. The chain is also launching its first Christmas ornament collection along with a holiday sweater; the merch is available through the website.

Whataburger welcomes the holiday season with a White Chocolate Peppermint Shake, and for caffeine-seekers, Hot or Iced White Chocolate Peppermint Coffee. The shake starts with a rich vanilla base that’s mixed with sweet white chocolate and cool peppermint.  All the minty items are available for a limited time in-store, at the drive-thru and online. 

Thanksgiving is on the calendar at Arby’s, where the Deep Fried Turkey Gobbler and Deep Fried Turkey Club are featured for a limited time. The former layers thick-sliced deep-fried turkey breast with crispy onions, everything seasoning, Swiss cheese, savory herb spread, lettuce and tomato, while the Club combines the same thick-sliced turkey with bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce tomato and mayo. Both are served on a brioche bun.

Thanksgiving flavors inspired the new ice cream selection at Salt & Straw. The Thanksgiving Series includes five varieties, all created by co-founder and head ice cream maker Tyler Malek. Two newcomers are Sweet Potato Casserole with a vegan sweet potato coconut-oat milk base, candied pecans and oatmeal streusel, and Pumpkin Pie Tiramisu, a combo of the two dessert classics rolled into an ice cream. The three returnees include Parker House Rolls with Salted Buttercream, Mom’s Mango Pie and Turkey Stuffing & Cranberry Sauce, the latter a sweet-savory flavor that takes Thanksgiving from plate to ice cream cone. 

The holiday lineup at Cracker Barrel goes from breakfast through cocktails, starting with new Cinnamon Swirl French Toast. It’s made with cinnamon streusel bread, dipped in batter and cooked golden brown, then topped with cinnamon and cream cheese icings. For a complete breakfast, it’s served with two eggs and a choice of bacon or smoked sausage. On the beverage side, there’s a new DIY Hot Chocolate Bar with customized toppings and a Sparkling Plum Mimosa sprinkled with edible glitter. Heat ‘n Serve feasts to go include turkey and trimmings, prime rib and ham, as well as a Holiday French Toast Bake.

At Buddy’s bar-b-q, whole Smoked Turkeys are available to order on their own or as part of Buddy’s Family Feast deal. With the latter, guests receive a smoked turkey, two quart-size sides of their choice, two dozen rolls and a gallon of tea. Side options include slaw, baked beans, green beans, potato salad and new creamy mac and cheese. For dessert, guests can order a pumpkin or pecan pie.

Two seasonal soups are simmering at Panera Bread: Hearty Fireside Chili and Rustic Baked Potato Soup. The fast casual also brought back Autumn Squash Soup, a fall signature. To celebrate the start of cozy soup season, Panera is offering a $1 cup of soup with an entrée purchase when customers use the code SOUP through Nov. 10.

A limited-time wrap launched at Just Salad, a joint effort in collaboration with recipe developer and viral content creator Justine Doiron of @justine_snacks. “Justine’s Sweet Heat Wrap” features supergreens blend, regenerative brown rice, roasted cauliflower, regenerative organic chickpeas, avocado, crumbled feta, cilantro and parsley, served drizzled with her Honey Cranberry Vinaigrette, a blend of wine vinegar, dried cranberries, Mike’s Hot Honey and red onion. Both are available through the end of November.

Sizzlin’ Breakfast Skillets and Maple Stuffed Donut Holes just landed on the menu at Denny’s. There are two new skillets—Braised Beef and Cali Taco—plus the returning Santa Fe Skillet. The braised beef version features pot roast, mushrooms, fire-roasted bell peppers, onions and beef sauce served on a bed of crisp red-skinned potatoes and topped with cheese and two eggs. The Cali Taco starts with three scrambled eggs topped with the bell peppers, onions, grape tomatoes and spinach, finished with salsa verde, avocado, sour cream and three flour tortillas. The shareable donut holes come with a dip of cream cheese icing.

Build Your Own catering taco kits are now on offer from Velvet Taco. The interactive $75 kits make 12 tacos and feature ingredients such as crispy chicken tenders for the Buffalo Chicken, roasted corn pico for the Mexi-Cali Shrimp and slow-roasted pulled pork for the Korean Fried Rice tacos. The kits come with an easy-to-follow “how to build” card so fans can replicate the globally inspired tacos at home.

Guests at Fogo de Chao can celebrate the holiday season with two new indulgent entrees. There’s a 30-ounce Wagyu Porterhouse aged for 21 days and carved tableside on a Himalayan salt block to enhance its rich flavor and buttery texture, plus a Whole Branzino that’s blistered churrasco-style and served tableside with extra virgin olive oil, lemon and parsley. Both are available a la carte to order for the table.

Cinnamon ‘N’ Raisin Biscuits and Candied Bacon return to Hardee’s through Jan. 7. The warm biscuits, which feature buttery cinnamon swirls and tart, juicy raisins, are now available all day long in packs of one, two or four. Also making a comeback is cherrywood-smoked bacon candied in-house with caramelized brown sugar and a hint of black pepper. It’s available on breakfast biscuits, the Candied Bacon Frisco Burger and as a Candied Bacon Snack Pack to go.

The Layer Up smoothies menu, new at Oakberry, includes six acai-based items. Each is topped with a frozen blend of fruits, supplements, coffees and/or matcha. The smoothies boast names such as Very Berry, Blue Fairy, Coffee Punch, Tropical Beats and Zen Matcha.