As temperatures drop and the year-end holidays approach, fast-food chains and coffee shop operations all over America are rolling out new menu items, many of them specifically keyed to the season and most of them offered only through the end of the year.
To compile a list of some of these new offerings, 24/7 Tempo reviewed several recent editions of the Menu Tracker column appearing regularly in Nation’s Restaurant News, a leading national restaurant trade publication. Bret Thorn, NRN’s senior food and beverage editor, constantly updates information of product debuts, covering a wide range of restaurant chains both large and small around the U.S.
In most cases, the chains introduce a number of new foods and/or beverages simultaneously, but 24/7 Tempo has chosen only one representative item from each chain. Unless otherwise noted, these are on the menus at all locations of a chain. Those whose availability is marked “unspecified limited time” generally appear until supplies run out, or until sales diminish – or it becomes apparent that they have failed to take off in the first place. (These are the most successful restaurant chains in America.)
While the emblematic coffee drink this time of year is the inevitable pumpkin spice latte (or some other coffee preparation with the same flavorings), first introduced by Starbucks in 2003 and widely copied ever since, this list of new items shows that various chains are serving up other seasonally appropriate caffeinated beverages as well, flavored with mint, chocolate, brown butter and more. (Not a fan of chains? Here’s a list of the best independent coffee shop in every state.)
Lists of new fast-food fare usually include a number of chicken preparations, but those are absent from this iteration. There are two burgers, however – one of them, regrettably available only in certain areas of New York City, being a Chinese-influenced version from Shake Shack. And playing on – and combining – two trendy foods, the Del Taco chain currently proposes a bowl of shredded beef birria ramen, which sounds like just the thing for a chilly autumn evening.
Read more about year-end menu adds at your favorite fast-food and coffee chains:
Caribou Coffee
> New menu item: Ho Ho Mint Mocha Espresso Shaker (espresso with white chocolate and mint, shaken with ice, topped with oat milk
> When available: Through the holidays
> Price (may vary): $5.69-$7.49
Carl’s Jr.
> New menu item: Guacamole bacon burger
> When available: Through Jan. 2
> Price (may vary): $5.99
Cinnabon
> New menu item: Peppermint mocha cold brew
> When available: Unspecified limited time
> Price (may vary): $5.29
Del Taco
> New menu item: Shredded beef birria ramen
> When available: Unspecified limited time
> Price (may vary): $5.79
Dunkin’
> New menu item: Cookie butter cold brew
> When available: Through the holidays
> Price (may vary): $4.09 (medium)
Hardee’s
> New menu item: Cinnamon raisin biscuit
> When available: Through Jan. 2
> Price (may vary): $1.89
Jimmy John’s
> New menu item: Pickle potato chips
> When available: Unspecified limited time
> Price (may vary): $1.85
Long John Silver’s
> New menu item: Wisconsin white cheddar cheese bites
> When available: Through December
> Price (may vary): $4.49 (small)
Peet’s Coffee
> New menu item: Holiday spice latte
> When available: Through Jan. 2
> Price (may vary): $5.20 and up
Potbelly
> New menu item: Apple caramel cookie
> When available: Unspecified limited time
> Price (may vary): $2.19
Shake Shack
> New menu item: Sichuan chili crisp burger (select New York City locations only)
> When available: Through Jan. 8
> Price (may vary): $8.79 and up
Starbucks
> New menu item: Chestnut praline latte
> When available: Through the holidays
> Price (may vary): $5.75-$6.75 (grande), hot, iced, or as Frappuccino
Tim Horton’s
> New menu item: Brown butter caramel cold brew
> When available: Through the holidays
> Price (may vary): $4.10 and up
Wendy’s
> New menu item: Peppermint Frosty (vanilla ice cream shake with peppermint)
> When available: Unspecified limited time
> Price (may vary): $1.60 and up