While most fast-food lovers probably have go-to items at their favorite chains — the chicken sandwich at Popeye’s, say, or the Crunchwrap Supreme at Taco Bell, or the iconic Big Mac at you-know-where — these operations are always looking for something new to tempt diners with, and employ an army of chefs, culinary consultants, marketing experts, and test kitchen staffs to constantly come up with new ideas for their menus or tweak existing ones to make them theoretically even more irresistible. (Can you guess the most popular fast food chain in every state?)
New items come and go, of course. Sometimes sales are disappointing and new items are banished to the annals of corporate history. Sometimes they’re pointedly seasonal, so have a built-in shelf life (see pumpkin spice latte, for example). And sometimes they’re rotated on and off the menu to stimulate interest. (How can we miss the McRib if it won’t go away?)
To assemble a list of a dozen new things to eat or drink at some of the more prominent fast-food (or fast-coffee) chains around the country for the beginning of 2024, 24/7 Tempo reviewed recent Menu Tracker articles in Nation’s Restaurant News, a key national trade publication serving the food service industry. Bret Thorn, NRN’s senior food and beverage editor, regularly reviews menus and new-product announcements from large and small chains across the country, reporting on newcomers.
Now that the end-of-the-year holiday season is past, taking with it the Christmas-themed items that cropped up on menus in December, Thorn has taken a look at some of the things consumers can expect to find at places ranging from Burger King to Wendy’s.
One surprise is that there aren’t more supposedly healthy or low-cal items showing up yet (maybe they’re still to come). Instead, among other things, we’ve got three different burgers and three chicken dishes (every list of new menu items inevitably includes chicken) — two of the latter presenting the chicken “hand-breaded,” though the third is described as a “fit bowl” — as well as a double-decker taco, a salted caramel latte, and a double chocolate muffin. Not exactly the stuff of New Year’s resolutions — but then, how many of the most popular New Year’s resolutions for 2023 did you keep anyway?
Here is a list of new fast food (and drink) offerings for early 2024:
Burger King
- Menu item: Shroom n’ Swiss Melt (2 patties, Swiss cheese, sautéed mushrooms)
- When available: Unspecified limited time
- Price (may vary): $5.49
Carl’s Jr.
- Menu item: Hand-breaded chicken tender wraps
- When available: Unspecified limited time
- Price (may vary): 2 for $6 and up
Chick-fil-A
- Menu item: Mango passion fruit lemonade
- When available: While supplies last
- Price (may vary): $2.45 and up
Dutch Bros.
- Menu item: Salted caramel protein latte
- When available: Through February or while supplies last
- Price (may vary): $4 and up
El Pollo Loco
- Menu item: Classic Double Pollo Fit Bowl (with “super greens”)
- When available: Through Feb. 21
- Price (may vary): $10.59
Hardee’s
- Menu item: Hand-breaded spicy chicken tender wraps
- When available: Permanently
- Price (may vary): $5 for 2 and up
Jack in the Box
- Menu item: Smashed Jack (smashburger with “Boss Sauce”)
- When available: Permanently
- Price (may vary): $8.49 and up
Peet’s Coffee
- Menu item: Bacon, spinach, and Swiss frittata
- When available: Through winter
- Price (may vary): $5.25
Starbuck’s
- Menu item: Potato, cheddar, and chive bake
- When available: Unspecified limited time
- Price (may vary): $4.95-$5.75
Taco Bell
- Menu item: Double Decker Taco (bean-filled tortilla around hard taco shell with seasoned ground beef)
- When available: Unspecified limited time
- Price (may vary): $2.99
Wendy’s
A Wendy's in Madison Heights, MI.
- Menu item: Pretzel Baconator
- When available: Unspecified limited time
- Price (may vary): $8.40