Menu Tracker: New items from Starbucks, Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A, and Burger King

Plus innovation at Andy’s Frozen Custard, Bennigan’s, Big Biscuit, Big Buns, Biggby Coffee, Birdcall, Black Rock Coffee Bar, Bojangles, Bruster’s, Buddy’s Bar-b-q, Buffalo Wild Wings, California Tortilla, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Chicken Salad Chick, Chipotle, Church’s Texas Chicken, Cousins Subs, Denny’s, Domino’s, Dunkin’, Dutch Bros, East Coast Wings & Grill, Ellianos Coffee, FiiZ Drinks, Flying Biscuit Café, Golden Chick, Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, Hardee’s, Harlem Shake, Human Bean, Joelle’s Hot Chicken, Krystal, Lion’s Choice, Popeyes, Potbelly, Red Robin, Sweetgreen, Velvet Taco, and Whiskey Cake.

It is a strange quirk of the calendar that St. Patrick’s Day always falls during Lent. The holiday possibly most associated with debauchery coincides with a period of abstinence.

But people cope. The archbishops of New York City and Boston, cities with large Irish-American populations, regularly grant special dispensations for the day celebrating Irish heritage, allowing parishioners to let loose on March 17.

What does any of that have to do with menus at chain restaurants? It means that there are a lot of green items and corned beef on offer as well as seafood.

Lenten items have been rolled out at Bojangles, Burger King, Church’s Texas Chicken, Cousins Subs, Denny’s, Flying Biscuit Café (which also has Mardi Gras-oriented pancakes), Golden Chick, Joelle’s Hot Chicken, Lion’s Choice, and Popeyes, as well as Big Buns Damn Good Burgers, a little chain in Northern Virginia.

St. Patrick’s Day-themed items are being introduced at Bennigan’s, Biggby Coffee, and FiiZ Drinks, (with more to come next week).

There are also some pretty big rollouts, like the springtime specials at Starbucks, including the return of lavender flavored drinks, which are now also available at Black Rock Coffee Bar and The Human Bean.

Chipotle has rolled out the Chipotle Honey Chicken that it tested last year, Domino’s has stuffed crusts now, Sweetgreen has air-fried Ripple Fries, and Chick-fil-A has new drinks flavored with pineapple and dragon fruit.

Dunkin’ has brought back its Dunkalatte, apparently inspired by a Rhode Island delicacy known as coffee milk, and Dutch Bros has popping boba. Andy’s Frozen Custard is celebrating a popular St. Louis treat: gooey butter cake.

Ellianos Coffee is selling apple fritters, Harlem Shake is celebrating Women’s History Month with a milkshake honoring Lena Horne, and Bib Biscuit has introduced dirty sodas.

Denver-based Birdcall has a fried chicken shawarma, Krystal has chicken nuggets, Chicken Salad Chick is adding dill to its signature item, and there are new sauces at Hardee’s and Buffalo Wild Wings.

East Coast Wings & Grill has introduced the second in a series of four skillet cookies it has promised to roll out this year.

Potbelly has taken its popular Wreck sandwich and added bacon and meatballs to it.

California Tortilla has taquitos and Taco Bell has a miniature crunchwrap.

Springtime menus have been rolled out at Carrabba’s, Grimaldi’s, and Whiskey Cake.

Red Robin has a basketball-themed burger, Buddy’s Bar-b-q has a new pulled pork sandwich, Bruster’s has cotton candy flavored ice cream, and Velvet Taco’s Weekly Taco feature is inspired by Nashville Hot Chicken.

See the full article here: https://www.nrn.com/menu-trends/menu-tracker-new-items-from-starbucks-taco-bell-chick-fil-a-and-burger-king