Restaurant companies employ chefs, nutritionists, and food scientists by the dozens to constantly refine their offerings and develop new ones. Today’s menus at, say, McDonald’s or Taco Bell, Applebee’s or TGI Fridays, will almost definitely look different from those three or five or seven years ago, and not just because prices have inevitably risen. Even a chain’s defining specialties might have been altered (and theoretically improved) in subtle ways.
24/7 Tempo has assembled a list of items that have recently appeared on menus at some of the nation’s favorite chain restaurants. Some are seasonal, especially geared toward summer eating. Others are experiments, rolled out initially only in some parts of the country, their future place on nationwide menus dependent on their local performance. (The experiments don’t always work, and quickly disappear. These are some fast-food dishes we’d like to see back on the menu.
Some new menu items are responses to perceived food trends. Burrata is showing up on independent restaurant menus? Sweetgreen will meet the demand with a berry and burrata salad. Avocado toast still hanging on? California Pizza Kitchen offers a smashed avocado focaccia. And if anybody needs reminding what America’s favorite form of protein is, more than a quarter of the items listed here involve chicken. Speaking of that, here are30 best fried chicken places in America.
24/7 Tempo assembled this list of new menu items at your favorite restaurant chains based on the Menu Tracker column published regularly by the leading national restaurant trade publication Nation’s Restaurant News. Preference was given to items from chains that are the best-known and/or largest across the country.
Buffalo Chicken Wedge Salad
> Chain: Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar
> Availability: Through summer at all locations
> Price: Varies
Smashed Avocado California Focaccia
> Chain: California Pizza Kitchen
> Availability: Unspecified limited time at company-owned restaurants (not franchises)
> Price: 9.99
Hand-Breaded Chicken & Waffle Breakfast Sandwich
> Chain: Carl’s Jr. / Hardee’s
> Availability: Permanently at all locations
> Price: 4.99
Bourbon Black Pepper Smokehouse Chicken
> Chain: Church’s Chicken
> Availability: Through Aug. 29 at all locations
> Price: 5
Pretzel Haus Pub Burger
> Chain: Culver’s
> Availability: Through Aug. 29 at all locations
> Price: 6.59
Epic Honey Mango Crispy Chicken & Bacon Burrito
> Chain: Del Taco
> Availability: Through Aug. 25 at all locations
> Price: 5
Berry Powdered Donuts
> Chain: Dunkin’
> Availability: Through summer at all locations
> Price: 1.09
King’s Hawaiian Grilled Pineapple Burger
> Chain: Fatburger
> Availability: Through Labor Day (Sept. 6) at all locations
> Price: Varies
Lobster & Shrimp Quesadllla
> Chain: Friendly’s
> Availability: Through Sept. 10 at all locations
> Price: 16.5
Watermelon Breeze Smoothie
> Chain: Jamba
> Availability: Unspecified limited time at all locations
> Price: $6.29 (small)
Impossible Burger with dairy-free cheese
> Chain: Johnny Rockets
> Availability: Permanently at all locations
> Price: Varies
Piña Colada Doughnut
> Chain: Krispy Kreme
> Availability: Unspecified limited time at all locations
> Price: 1.89
Parmesan Crusted Papadia (folded flatbread sandwich)
> Chain: Papa John’s
> Availability: Unspecified limited time at all locations
> Price: 7
The Edge pizza (four varieties)
> Chain: Pizza Hut
> Availability: Unspecified limited time at all locations
> Price: 12.99
Ancho Po-Boy Shrimp Tacos
> Chain: Rubio’s Coastal Grill
> Availability: Through Oct. 5 at all locations
> Price: 10.99
The Pride Shake
> Chain: Shake Shack
> Availability: Through June 30 at all locations
> Price: 6.29
Strawberry Cheesecake Blast
> Chain: Sonic Drive-In
> Availability: Through June 27 at all locations
> Price: $5.20 (medium)
Strawberry Funnel Cake Frappuccino
> Chain: Starbucks
> Availability: While supplies last at all locations
> Price: $5.25-$5.75 (grande)
Berry & Burrata Salad
> Chain: Sweetgreen
> Availability: Through Aug. 4 at Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. area
> Price: 11.95
Naked Chicken Chalupa
> Chain: Taco Bell
> Availability: Unspecified limited time at all locations
> Price: 3.49
Bourbon Bacon Cheeseburger
> Chain: Wendy’s
> Availability: Permanently at all locations
> Price: 5.39
Colossal Chicken Sandwich
> Chain: Wing Zone
> Availability: Unspecified limited time at all locations
> Price: 7