There’s no evidence of a summer slowdown in menu activity as July 4 approaches. Chain restaurants seem to be rushing to get out ahead of the holiday weekend with new menu items and limited-time offers. The sandwich, salad, pizza and beverage categories are all showing plenty of action. Take a look at what’s happening on menus this week.
Italian cuisine is the spark for Panera Bread’s summer menu additions. The Italian Steak & Mozz is a sandwich layered with sliced steak, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, arugula, garlic aioli, fresh basil and Italian dressing on Black Pepper Focaccia. On the salad front is an Italian Market Salad tossed with mixed greens, arugula and Italian dressing, topped with soppressata, shredded asiago cheese, chopped basil, salt and pepper, chickpeas and croutons. To sip, there’s a Strawberry Basil Lemonade Fresca sweetened with agave nectar.
Panera taps Italian cuisine for menu inspiration.
The latest mac & cheese variation at Noodles & Company is the Korean-inspired Bulgogi Steak Mac & Cheese, available starting Wednesday. The base is a cheddar-Jack cheese mac topped with seared steak, sweet-and-spicy Korean-style gochujang sauce, scallions, crispy onions and Asian seasonings. On July 14, National Mac & Cheese Day, Noodles Rewards members who purchase a regular entrée can pay half-price for any mac & cheese item on the menu.
Seafood Boils have arrived at Red Lobster as part of the annual Crabfest promotion. The Mariner’s Boil features a Maine lobster tail, a dozen shrimp, snow crab legs, corn and red potatoes, while the Sailor’s Boil is a mix of shrimp, smoked sausage, corn and red potatoes. Guests can customize the flavor profile from three choices: Old Bay seasoning, Cajun Butter or Garlic Butter. Also new for Crabfest are Crabby Stuffed Mushrooms, Crab-Topped Asparagus, Crab-Topped Potato, Steak Oscar and Salmon Oscar, as well as a Festival Summer of Sips with three new cocktails.
Four pizzas in the new Hut Lover’s line, all priced at $12.99, made their debut Tuesday at Pizza Hut. The line includes the new Spicy Hawaiian Lover’s Pizza topped with spicy marinara sauce, ham, bacon, pineapple, jalapeño and red chili flakes. Rounding out the quartet are the Meat Lover’s Pizza with pepperoni, Italian sausage, ham, bacon, seasoned pork and beef; Pepperoni Lover’s with extra pepperoni and extra cheese; and the Veggie Lover’s with mushrooms, onions, green peppers, diced tomatoes and black olives.
The Zesty Aloha Pizza with Mango at Mountain Mike’s gets its Hawaiian accent from mango rather than the “polarizing” pizza topping of pineapple. The pie is topped with mango, ham, grilled chicken, bacon, red onion and diced tomato, and the chain’s signature Zesty Aloha sauce. The same sauce flavors Zesty Aloha Wings, which return to the limited-time Aloha Summer menu. Zesty Aloha sauce is infused with Polynesian sweet chili peppers and garlic for a sweet-hot flavor profile.
Also making pizza news is deep-dish specialist Giordano’s, which is continuing its “Chi-Town Flavors” series in collaboration with Weber Grill Restaurant, another Chicago-born concept. Weber Grill’s meat packs are now available on Giordano’s e-commerce site with options such as Black Angus Burgers, BBQ Baby Back Ribs, Filet Mignon and New York Strips. For a limited time, customers can also add two Giordano’s frozen pizzas for $50.
Savory and sweet filled pancakes roll out at Perkins American Food Co.
Pancake Flip Platters are the news at Perkins American Food Co. Four filled pancake variations are on offer, two savory and two sweet. On the sweet side are Strawberry Cheesecake buttermilk pancakes layered with cheesecake filling, topped with glazed strawberries, sugar cookie streusel and whipped topping, and Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake with the same filling topped with chocolate chip cookie pieces and whipped topping, then drizzled with caramel and chocolate. Both come with two eggs, applewood bacon strips or sausage links. The savory versions are based on potato pancakes; the Bacon & Cheddar are loaded with bacon, cheddar and scrambled eggs and topped with sour cream, while the Ham & Sausage are filled with ham, sausage, American cheese and scrambled eggs. Both are served with potatoes and fruit.
El Pollo Loco introduces two quesadillas for summer, both handheld and ready to go. Creamy Chipotle features Jack cheese and citrus-marinated grilled chicken wrapped in a tortilla and finished with creamy chipotle sauce, while the Salsa Verde Quesadilla has the same filling but adds avocado salsa to the mix. Both range from $7.49 a la carte to $9.99 for a combo.
Spicy Peach Sauce is the summer condiment at Hurricane Grill & Wings. The sweet-spicy sauce can be ordered with any of the wings or with the new Wing & Tender Combo Basket. Other menu additions include Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps, a Beer Battered Fish Sandwich and a vodka Peach Tea Cocktail or alcohol-free Mocktail.
The Taste of the Tropics menu is now available at East Coast Wings & Grill through Aug. 19. Crispy fried Coconut Shrimp served with a sweet-hot Kamikaze Sauce leads off the collection, followed by Key Lime Carnival Fry Dip, a sauce that infuses a creamy base with notes of Key lime. Keeping with the theme, the Hurricane Party Cocktail combines rum, passion fruit juice, orange juice and grenadine in the glass.
Dunkin’ reunites with Sabrina Carpenter to debut Sabrina’s Strawberry Daydream Refresher, an iced drink that combines strawberry flavor and oatmilk, topped with cold foam. Also new are Ice Cream-Inspired Frozen Coffees in a trio of flavors: Cookie Dough Frozen Coffee, Mint Chocolate Chip Frozen Coffee and Butter Pecan Frozen Coffee. All are topped with whipped cream and waffle cone pieces. From the bakery are a Summer Munchkins Bucket, Braided Apple Pie and Star-Spangled Donut.
Dunkin' partnered with Sabrina Carpenter on a new beverage launched with its summer menu.
Whatafreshers are launching at Whataburger Tuesday, a new line of icy craft beverages. First out of the gate is the Prickly Pear Raspberry Whatafresher, a blend of real raspberries, lemon and a hint of prickly pear that delivers a mellow, tangy twist. It joins the chain’s new lemonade to quench summer thirsts.
A revamped breakfast menu is the news at Burgerville. New items include a Fried Egg Biscuit Sandwich with Face Rock Creamery 2-year aged white cheddar; a Biscuit Dipper with sausage, the same local cheddar, honey and creamy pork sausage breakfast gravy; a Portuguese Sausage Sandwich with local linguica sausage and peppers; a Scrambled Egg Sandwich with chive cream cheese; a Crispy Scramble Burrito or Bowl; and local Marionberry Creamy Greek Yogurt.
Wayback Burgers introduced two limited-time items for the summer: Strawberry Hibiscus Lemonade and the Chicken Bacon Ranch Bowl. The bowls are a newer format for the chain and this one layers crispy fried chicken with cheddar cheese, chopped bacon, tomatoes and pickles with a drizzle of ranch dressing. The lemonade blends the sweetness of strawberries with tart, floral notes of hibiscus.
Slow-Cooked Pork Carnitas has arrived at Del Taco, available with Loaded Fries, Street Tacos and two more formats. The carnitas are made with shredded pork simmered in spices and finished with a smoky Roasted Salsa Roja made from fire-roasted tomatillos and chipotle peppers. Two seasonal favorites also return to the menu through Aug. 11: Funnel Cake Fries and Independence Poppers, the latter a summer drink with strawberry boba, blue raspberry flavor and lemon-lime soda, lemonade, or a vanilla shake base.
Del Taco's new Carnitas work across the menu.
Breakfast to-go is in the spotlight at Bojangles with the launch of the new Breakfast Bo-Rito. The portable morning meal features country-style sausage, eggs, crispy potatoes, Monterey Jack cheese and Southern-style sausage gravy, all wrapped in a warm flour tortilla and served with a side of hot sauce.
Frozen Sips are Everbowl’s entry in the refreshing summer coolers category. The frozen lemonades come in three flavors: Strawberry Frozen Sip, Mango Frozen Sip and Dragon Fruit Frozen Sip. All three are made with fresh ingredients and packed with superfood benefits; they’re on the menu through Sept. 8.
The Original Chocolate Dessert returns to Cicis.
And Cicis is bringing back its Original Chocolate Dessert to celebrate its 40th birthday. The nostalgic menu item is baked with deep-dish dough, cocoa sugar, chocolate and a dusting of powdered sugar, then sliced into thick, rectangular strips. The pizza chain calls the dessert “its most requested menu item ever,” and it will be available through Aug. 17 on Cicis buffets for $7.99.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.