June kicks off with menu action at Sonic, Blaze Pizza and Panda Express

Restaurant chains ushered in June with a flurry of menu activity. Blaze Pizza announced a menu makeover, while Sonic revamped its fries and BWW and Panda Express played with flavor. Summer fruits are on full display in drinks, baked goods and salads, and icy treats are at the ready to beat the heat.

Five new pizzas in the “Chef Inspired & Fast Fire’d Signature Collection” signal the takeoff of Blaze Pizza’s menu makeover, which will continue through 2024. The collection includes The Carnivore topped with sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, ham and crumbled meatballs; The Herbivore, made with mozzarella, mushrooms, roasted garlic, tomatoes, banana peppers and arugula; The Meatball Pie dolloped with ricotta; The Blazed BBQ topped with grilled chicken, BBQ sauce, red onions and pickled jalapenos; and The Four Cheese covered with shredded mozzarella, Ovolini mozzarella, ricotta and Parmesan. The five pizzas replace Blaze’s Signature Pizza menu and in the coming months, customers can expect to see salads, grab-and-go items and even a dessert join the menu.

Groovy Fries launched at Sonic. The chain updated its fries to make them fluffier inside and crisper with deeper grooves on the outside, all the better to dip into the accompanying Groovy Sauce. The sauce is a blend of ranch, herbs and Sriracha. To celebrate the launch, consumers can purchase any size Groovy Fries for $1 throughout the month of June.

Panda Express has heated up its signature Orange Chicken with a spicy twist. Limited-time Hot Orange Chicken starts with the same basic recipe, but the kitchen adds six scoops of crushed chilis and a ladle full of dried chilis to pump up the spice level. The LTO is on the menu through June 23.

Dave’s Bites are new to the menu at Dave’s Hot Chicken. The boneless, snackable pieces of chicken look a lot like nuggets and are available in three spice levels—no spice, medium and hot. The Bites are priced at $6.99 for the 10-piece size; $9.99 with fries.

Two limited-time sauces are coming to the menu at Buffalo Wild Wings this month, one new and one returning favorite. Luau BBQ is the new addition, a sweet and smoky pineapple sauce. And Buffalo Ranch is making a comeback, a creamy blend of two iconic BWW sauces. Customers can also look for a special deal on Mondays and Wednesdays—All You Can Eat Boneless Wings and Fries for $19.99.

The June Pancake of the Month at IHOP is Orange Cream Pancakes. The sunny creation features four buttermilk pancakes topped with vanilla mousse, orange sauce and whipped cream. IHOP debuted its Pancake of the Month rotation in February and a new iteration appears on the first of every month.

Summer is prime time for beverage innovation, and 7-Eleven is jumping in with its latest entry: a Peach Candy Lemonade Slurpee. The slushy refresher is inspired by 7-Select Gummi Peach Rings, a soft, chewy candy with a tangy peachy flavor that balances the sweetness of peach with the tartness of lemonade for the drink. On the food side, the Mangonada Donut makes its menu debut. It’s inspired by the Mexican frozen drink and combines the flavors of mango and chamoy with a sprinkle of Tajin and sugar. Both items are selling at 7-Eleven, Stripes and Speedway stores.

The Sparkling Lineup at Peet’s Coffee includes three new drinks to quench summer thirsts. Sparkling Grapefruit Cold Brew is a bubbly beverage layered with cold brew, club soda and ruby red grapefruit. Sparkling Passion Fruit Black Tea is a twist on iced tea made with black tea, club soda, passion fruit puree and house simple syrup, while Sparkling Lemonade is crafted with lemonade, club soda and house simple syrup. On the coffee side are two new beans: light-roasted Sun Catcher with fruity notes and medium-roast Off the Grid with chocolate, almond butter and pear undertones.

The summer menu at California Pizza Kitchen is brightened by the flavors of seasonal fruits. The California Fields Salad is a combo of watermelon, strawberries, feta cheese, fresh basil and greens with a Champagne vinaigrette. On the beverage side are a Sparkling Watermelon Cooler and Summer Fruit Sangria, and for dessert there’s scratch-made Strawberry Shortcake topped with ripe berries, whipped cream and house-made candied lemon zest.

Blueberries are the berry of choice at Hardee’s, where warm and fluffy Blueberry Biscuits join the menu. Available in a single pack, two-pack and a four-pack, guests can order Blueberry Biscuits during breakfast hours on the app or in-store to start off a summer day on a sweet note.

The new Firecracker Wrap at Jimmy John’s rolls up crunchy crushed chips with salami, turkey, ghost pepper cheese, garlic aioli and peppers in a red jalapeno tortilla. The chips, called Firecracker Jimmy Chips, are dusted with red ghost pepper flavor and are also available by the bag to enjoy on their own. Also new on the menu is a Confetti Cookie Sandwich made with two sugar cookies covered with red, white and blue sprinkles and sandwiched together with buttercream frosting.

A new cookie, the Cherry Delight, comes to Potbelly locations. Also new at the sandwich chain is an addition to the Underground Menu—a collection of exclusive items. It’s the Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwich, layered with grilled chicken, hickory smoked ham, melted Swiss and deli mustard, then toasted on Potbelly’s signature bread. The Underground Menu is available only on the Potbelly app.

Fuzzy’s Taco Shop introduced three Baja-inspired items: the Cali-Style Steak Taco, Cali-Style Steak Burrito and Birria Queso Fries. The burrito includes grilled steak, guac, shredded cheese, pico de gallo, pickled jalapeno and Fuzzy-dusted crispy fries—adding fries is a Southern California thing. It’s sauced with chipotle and cilantro-lime crema. The taco has similar ingredients, while the fries are topped with birria, queso and pickled jalapenos. Guests can sip a seasonal Bomb-a-‘Rita with their meal; it’s a frozen margarita layered with strawberry puree and blue curacao and garnished with a frozen popsicle.

White Chocolate Layer Cake earned a spot on the permanent menu at Chicken Salad Chick. The homemade cake is composed of three layers of fluffy white chocolate sponge cake with a velvety butter and cream cheese frosting nestled in between each tier. The dessert is available by the slice or as a whole cake.