KANSAS CITY — Summer-inspired entrees are heating up menus with fresh limited-time offerings.
Taco Bell is partnering with Kellnova’s Cheez-It brand to launch several Cheez-It menu items. The Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme and Big Cheez-It tostada. As part of the collaboration, the companies have sized up a Cheez-It cracker to 16 times its normal size.
The Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme features seasoned beef, nacho cheese, lettuce, reduced-fat sour cream and diced tomatoes, and instead of a typical tostada shell, a Big Cheez-It cracker, all wrapped in a grilled tortilla. The Big Cheez-It tostada features a Big Cheez-It cracker, topped with seasoned beef, diced tomatoes, lettuce, shredded cheese and reduced-fat sour cream.
"This collaboration isn't just about bringing together two iconic brands; it's about taking the spirit of fan innovation to create something truly larger than life," said Liz Matthews, global chief food innovation officer at Taco Bell. "We're thrilled to launch this exciting partnership nationwide and offer fans a whole new way to experience the classic cheesy and crunchy flavors they love from Taco Bell and Cheez-It."
7-Eleven is leaning into summer with new sweet and spicy products. The convenience chain debuted a mangonada donut, inspired by the Mexican drink of the same name, which features a honeymooner donut, filled with a mixture of mango and chamoy and topped with Tajin. 7-Eleven also added a limited-edition peach candy lemonade slurpee drink, inspired by gummi peach rings.
“We're always on the lookout for the latest trends to bring exciting new additions to the menu, including diving into sweet and spicy flavors with the new mangonada donut,” said Dennis Phelps, senior vice president, merchandising (vault and proprietary beverages) at 7-Eleven.
Chick-fil-A is adding a new seasonal entrée for the summer, the maple pepper bacon sandwich, and is also bringing back its peach milkshake. First tested in Indianapolis and Lexington, Ky., in 2o23, the maple pepper bacon sandwich features a lemon herb-marinated and grilled chicken breast, served on a toasted maple-flavored brioche bun, with pepper jack cheese, lettuce, pepper and brown-sugar tossed bacon and sweet and spicy pickles.
"We are always looking for ways to make unique twists to our entrée selection and the maple pepper bacon sandwich is a delicious spin on the Chick-fil-A flavors our Guests know and love,” said Allison Duncan, director of menu and packaging at Chick-fil-A. “It is a delicious blend of sweet, savory and spicy, offering an entirely different flavor profile than any other sandwich we've launched. We have several new and exciting offerings in the pipeline and look forward to continuing to surprise our guests with bold, new tastes in the future.”
