If you don’t frequent fast food places and other chain restaurants, you might have the idea that each one basically offers just variations on a few kinds of food over and over — burgers, chicken nuggets, and those famous fries at McDonald’s; tacos, burritos, and gorditas at Taco Bell; pepperoni pizza with a few possible additions at Domino’s — and so on.
If you’re a chain restaurant regular, though, you’ll know that every example of the genre is constantly reinventing its menu, experimenting, rolling out seasonal specialties (and then rolling them back in again). Chains may depend on their bedrock specialties for consistency, but they’re always looking for new ways to get regulars to spend their money and maybe to tempt new customers to give them a try. (Adding yet further variety, many operations permit and even encourage patrons to customize their orders. Here are some secret off-the-menu items to order at your favorite chain.)
24/7 Tempo regularly reviews the Menu Tracker column published several times a month by the leading national restaurant trade publication Nation’s Restaurant News. In it, NRN’s senior food and beverage editor, Bret Thorn, reports on the latest additions to menus at prominent chains around North America, fast-food and otherwise.
In culling our list of new items from the past four appearances of the column, we’ve filtered out chains operating exclusively in Canada, and given preference to those that are the best-known and/or largest across the country. (These are the most successful restaurant chains in America.)
Click here to see the new menu items at your favorite restaurant chains for early fall
Some new menu offerings on the list will be available permanently (or until the chain decides to retire them), while others are available only for a limited time, specified or not. As usual with such lists, pizza, burgers, chicken, breakfast dishes, and plant-based proteins all figure more than once.
Source: J. Michael Jones / Getty Images
Bojangles: Bo’s chicken sandwich
> When available: Permanently
> Where available: All locations
> Approximate price: $3.99
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Source: RiverNorthPhotography / Getty Images
Carl’s Jr.: Sourdough Star (cheeseburger on sourdough bread)
> When available: Through Sept. 21
> Where available: All locations
> Approximate price: $4.99
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/86530412@N02/
Chipotle Mexican Grill: Plant-based chorizo
> When available: Unspecified
> Where available: Denver and Indianapolis with potential nationwide availability
> Approximate price: $8.50 (as main course)
Source: anouchka / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: Beyond Breakfast Sausage Sandwich
> When available: Through Oct. 31
> Where available: California locations only
> Approximate price: $5.95
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Source: Jonathan Weiss / Shutterstock.com
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store: Bacon n’ Egg Hashbrown Casserole
> When available: Permanently
> Where available: All locations
> Approximate price: $9.99
Source: Keithready / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Del Taco: Double cheese breakfast taco with hashbrowns and bacon
> When available: Unspecified limited time
> Where available: All locations
> Approximate price: $1.69
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Source: tupungato / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
Dunkin’: Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
> When available: While supplies last
> Where available: All locations
> Approximate price: $3.99
Source: RiverNorthPhotography / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
Hardee’s: French Toast Dips
> When available: Permanently
> Where available: All locations
> Approximate price: $2.99
Source: jetcityimage / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
Jack in the Box: Spicy Tiny Tacos
> When available: Through Sept. 27
> Where available: All locations
> Approximate price: $3 for 15 tacos
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Source: krblokhin / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
Jamba: Iced Gotcha Matcha
> When available: Unspecified limited time
> Where available: All locations
> Approximate price: $5.79
Source: jetcityimage / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
Little Caesars: Crazy Calzony (cheese-stuffed pizza-calzone mashup)
> When available: Unspecified limited time
> Where available: All locations
> Approximate price: $8.49
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Source: TennesseePhotographer / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
Long John Silver’s: Lobster Bites
> When available: Through November
> Where available: All locations
> Approximate price: $3.99
Source: Márcio Cabral de Moura / Wikimedia Commons
Marble Slab Creamery: Flamin’ Hot Ice Cream (with crushed Flamin’ Hot Cheetos)
> When available: Through Sept. 30
> Where available: All locations
> Approximate price: $5.99
Source: RiverNorthPhotography / Getty Images
McDonald’s: Glazed pull-apart donut
> When available: Unspecified limited time
> Where available: All locations
> Approximate price: $Varies by location
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Panda Express: Crispy almond chicken breast
> When available: Through Dec. 31
> Where available: All locations
> Approximate price: $5.40
Panera: Cinnamon Crunch Latte
> When available: Unspecified limited time
> Where available: All locations
> Approximate price: $4.49
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Source: Ildar Sagdejev / Wikimedia Commons
Papa John’s: The Shaq-a-Roni (16-inch pizza with extra mozzarella and pepperoni, introduced in collaboration with Papa John’s board member Shaquille O’Neal)
> When available: Unspecified limited time
> Where available: All locations
> Approximate price: $13 ($1 goes to Papa John’s Foundation for Building Community)
Source: Daniel Oines / Flickr
Pizza Hut: Beyond Pepperoni Pizza (meatless pepperoni)
> When available: Unspecified limited time
> Where available: 70 test locations in New York, Florida, Georgia, and Texas
> Approximate price: $10.00
Source: Cbraccialini / Wikimedia Commons
Red Robin: Scorpion Gourmet Burger (with scorpion pepper sauce)
> When available: Through early Oct.
> Where available: All locations
> Approximate price: $14.49
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Source: walmart3 / Flickr
Roy Rogers: Dynamite Burger (with chipotle ranch and jalapeño poppers)
> When available: Through Feb. 13, 2022
> Where available: All locations
> Approximate price: $6.29
Smoothie King: Pumpkin Coffee High Protein smoothie
> When available: Unspecified limited time
> Where available: All locations
> Approximate price: $6.15
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Source: Wachiwit / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
Starbucks: Apple Crisp Macchiato
> When available: Unspecified limited time
> Where available: All locations
> Approximate price: $5.45
Source: ablokhin / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
Sweetgreen: Tropical Star Fruit Bowl
> When available: Through Oct. 6
> Where available: Miami locations only
> Approximate price: $12.95
Wendy’s: Big Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger
> When available: Unspecified limited time
> Where available: All locations
> Approximate price: $5.59
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Source: J. Michael Jones / Getty Images
Zaxby’s: Southwest Zalad
> When available: Unspecified limited time
> Where available: All locations
> Approximate price: $8.59
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