The dog days of August are upon us, but there's no slowdown on the menu development front in chain restaurants. Inventive sandwiches, chilly beverages, frosty desserts and other cool items are rolling out of the pipeline to tempt consumers who may be stuck in a heat wave or flavor rut.
Beginning Monday, customers at Wendy’s can try the limited-time Meal of Misfortune, a tie-in with Wednesday of The Addams Family. The meal centers on “Dips of Dread,” four fiery mystery sauces, along with “Rest in 10-Piece” Nuggets, a small “Cursed & Crispy” Fries and a small “Raven’s Blood” Frosty, all served in custom packaging with a Wednesday theme. Fans also can play “Escape from Wednesday’s Woe” on the chain’s app, with the chance to win Wendy’s x Wednesday treats and rewards.
The Meal of Misfortune at Wendy's.
Barbecue continues to trend, with Firehouse Subs launching two new sandwiches with the summery flavor profile. The Classic BBQ Triple Stack features slow-smoked beef brisket, smoked turkey breast and honey ham topped with melted cheddar, sweet and tangy slaw, barbecue sauce and mayo on a toasted sub roll, while the Carolina Gold BBQ Triple Stack includes the same meats and melted cheese, topped with crispy onions, slaw, sweet mustard BBQ sauce and mayo on a toasted sub roll.
The Smoked Brisket Bacon Smash returns to Smashburger, made with Texas-style 14-hour smoked brisket. Also launching are four new All-Angus Big Dogs including the Americana Big Dog with ketchup, mustard, relish and diced onions; the Bacon Cheese Big Dog with bacon, creamy cheese sauce and shredded cheddar; the Chili Cheese Big Dog topped with the cheeses and beef chili; and the Chili Cheese Jalapeño Big Dog with the addition of jalapeño slices. A variety of Loaded Sides, a Chilled Chicken Chef Salad and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Shake complete the additions, available through Sept. 30.
Chicken tenders arrive at Piada Italian Street Food.
Crispy chicken tenders are now available at Piada Italian Street Food, a chain largely focused on Italian-style wraps, pasta and bowls. To give the item a Piada spin, the hand-breaded tenders are paired with chef-created Italian-accented sauces such as creamy Parmesan, basil aioli and Italian hot honey. Each order is served with a pepperoncini pepper.
Fizzy Refreshers are the latest beverage debut at HTeaO. Available throughout the month of August, the limited-time drinks blend Monin Glacier Clear Energy, lemonade and Maison Perrier sparkling water in two variations. Lemon Lav combines lavender syrup with Clear Energy, lemonade and bubbly water, and Desert Pear is a mix of pear syrup, Clear Energy, lemonade and bubbly water.
The Afternoon Sips promotion at Pret A Manger gives late-afternoon guests the chance to refresh with a 16-ounce iced Green Tea, Black Tea, Lemonade, Sunshine Tea (half lemonade, half iced tea) or the new Iced Matcha Latte. The $4 drinks can be enhanced with free fruit compote, with choices including Pink Guava, Dragon Fruit Mango or Strawberry Lavender compote made with real fruit.
7 Leaves Cafe launches the Rio Rosa.
A new beverage called the Rio Rosa has arrived at 7 Leaves Café for late summer. The LTO is a mix of strawberry puree from The Perfect Puree, fresh strawberries, sweetened condensed milk and a touch of lime.
Shake Shack Introduced a new summer drink add-on—Mini Raspberry Popping Boba. For an additional 99 cents, the mini raspberry pearls can be paired with lemonade, iced tea and other beverages (except shakes), adding a lightly tart raspberry flavor that bursts in the mouth when sipped through a straw.
Iced matcha lattes are cooling off customers at Paris Baguette. The limited-time summer collection features Strawberry Matcha Latte with strawberry-flavored milk, Mango Matcha Latte with mango-flavored milk and Blueberry Lavender Matcha Latte with blueberry-lavender milk. Milk choices include dairy milk, oat milk, almond milk and soy milk.
A new menu category called Andy’s Soda Shoppe taps into the beverage boom at Andy’s Frozen Custard. The retro-inspired lineup reflects the surge in beverage interest across chains, with Cherry Limeade the first offering. It’s a blend of lemon-lime Sprite, cherries, Key lime syrup and Andy’s vanilla frozen custard, all swirled together.
A cooling summer dessert at Din Tai Fung.
Fast-growing soup dumpling chain Din Tai Fung rolled out its first-ever cold dessert: Shaved Snow with Fresh Mango. The sweet ending features fluffy shaved snow made with whole milk, then crowned with fresh mango pieces and a drizzle of the restaurant’s signature sweet-tart mango sauce and condensed milk.
Shipley Do-Nuts is thinking ahead to fall with the launch of Apple Fritter Bites. Available for a limited time, the $2 treats are made in house with Shipley’s signature yeast dough and apples, laced with cinnamon and sugar, then glazed for an anytime snack.
Four limited-time summer favorites are on the menu at Gott’s Roadside through Aug. 20. The collection includes a Gruyere and Caramelized Onion Burger on a butter-toasted egg bun; Lobster BLT made with Maine lobster, capers, green onions, dill-and-lemon mayo, tomatoes, lettuce and bacon on a sesame brioche bun; Street Corn, grilled and topped with mayo, cotija cheese, asado seasoning and lime; and a Peach Cobbler Parfait.
Summer additions to the menu at Gott's Roadside.
The Betr Burger is back at Dog Haus. The sweet-spicy-savory burger is stacked with a Nashville hot-rubbed Angus beef smash patty, bacon onion jam, El Gallo sauce and miso ranch on a grilled King’s Hawaiian roll. It was first developed with viral food artist Josh Elkin and Jake Paul’s sports betting and media brand betr to promote a one-off event, but became a breakout hit for Dog Haus.
A new line of protein-enhanced functional smoothies joins the menu at Crisp & Green. In the Classic Smoothies category are Green Glow, Date Night, Maple Peanut and Strawberry Sunrise, all made with real fruit and vanilla or plain protein powder. Energy Smoothies include Brewberry, Chai Tea and Mocha Dream, while the Super Smoothie group includes Be Well, Blue Boost, Bounce Back, Inner Beauty and Hibiscus Tea. Each contains at least 20 grams protein.
A double wave of innovation hits Pokeworks, where Hawaiian Hot Plates and Signature Drinks make their debut. The Hot Plates, a riff on Hawaii’s popular plate lunch, feature proteins such as flame-grilled teriyaki salmon, huli huli chicken and spicy shrimp, all served with white rice, classic greens and Pokeworks’ Furikake Mac Salad. The Signature Drinks have a tropical theme running through, with flavors like Mango Coconut Fresca, Jasmine Milk Tea, Strawberry Lemonade and Tropical POG (passion fruit, orange and guava.)
Taco Tuesday is getting a refresh at Fuzzy’s Taco Shop with a new weekly deal. Fuzzy’s Original Tacos with classic proteins (carnitas, shredded chicken, ground beef) are going for $2.50 apiece, while tacos with premium proteins (grilled steak, grilled chicken, shrimp, brisket) are $3.50. Fuzzy’s also developed the new Tacos Dorado, a dish of two crispy corn tortillas stuffed with shredded chicken and a blend of cheeses, topped with cilantro-lime crema, feta and cilantro, and served with a side of guac and Queso Dorado. The latter is a combo of yellow queso and spicy fresh salsa.
Gummy bears and glitter equal summer fun at Rita's.
Gummy Bear Italian Ice returns to Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard, this time, with a sparkly sidekick. The original dessert is made with white Italian Ice that tastes like a handful of gummy bears and is mixed with real gummy bears throughout. Also making news is Glittery Gummy Bear Gelati, a frosty treat with layers of gummy bear ice, vanilla frozen custard and a unicorn glitter topping.
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