Homestyle or Nashville hot, poultry proliferates on menus.
Returning to Applebee’s for a limited time are Irresist-A-Bowls. The lineup includes a new broccoli cheddar macaroni and cheese bowl, grilled chicken and spinach alfredo bowl, homestyle chicken bowl, crispy orange chicken bowl, Tex-Mex shrimp bowl and Southwest chicken bowl.
“We’re excited to introduce our latest bowl innovation, the new Broccoli Cheddar Mac ‘N Cheese Bowl, and to celebrate all of our Irresist-A-Bowls starting at just $8.99 for a limited time,” said Joel Yashinsky, chief marketing officer at Applebee’s. “Our guests tell us they love our Irresist-A-Bowls for their incredible flavor and abundance at an unbeatable price. We’re honored to make Applebee’s that affordable escape for our guests.”
Blimpie has added a pair of sandwiches for a limited time. The Sweet BBQ Chicken sandwich has roasted chicken breast tossed in Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce, topped with cheddar, spinach and red onions. The Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich has roasted chicken breast tossed in Nashville hot sauce, topped with Swiss cheese, coleslaw, pickles and creamy ranch dressing.
“Blimpie is excited to introduce our two new Southern & Spicy subs,” said Sam Carity, senior national marketing manager for Kahala Brands, parent company of Blimpie. “The craveable combination of spicy and sweet is one that guests love and we are thrilled to answer that call. Our Sweet BBQ Chicken and Nashville Hot Chicken subs are sure to satisfy.”
Drive-thru restaurant chain Checkers & Rally’s is debuting the Bistro Buford burger, with two beef patties, two strips of bacon, Swiss cheese, creamy Dijon mayo sauce and Parmesan-dusted onions on a bakery-style bun.
“Given how popular our Bufords are, we’ve decided to step up our burger game even further with yet another crave-able combination,” said Ryan Joy, senior director of development at Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. “With ingredients such as Parmesan-dusted onions and Dijon mayo, the Bistro Buford delivers an elevated experience that’s full of flavor bang for your buck.”
Church’s Chicken is introducing the Texas-Sized Meal, combining three pieces of fried chicken legs or thighs, two side dishes, a honey butter biscuit and a jalapeño pepper. The Texas-Sized Combo adds a large drink.
“Church’s continually strives to serve our guests bold, flavorful meals straight from the heart of Texas,” said Claudia Lezcano, senior vice president, US marketing for Church’s. “With the Texas-Sized Meal and Combo, everything is bigger – except for the price.”
Cold Stone Creamery has introduced Peeps flavored ice cream, featured in two limited-time menu items. The Peeps Sweet Spring Creation and a Peeps inspired milkshake each have Peeps ice cream, whipped topping and blue sugar crystals, plus a yellow Peeps marshmallow chick.
Chicken n’ Biscuits, a delivery-only brand owned by Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, is offering a new homestyle chicken sandwich, with breaded fried chicken, pickles and mayonnaise on a brioche bun.
For years, the debate around “the best chicken sandwich” has been growing, and Chicken n’ Biscuits by Cracker Barrel is excited to enter the competition with our new Homestyle Chicken Sandwich,” said Matthew Schaefer, senior director of strategy and innovation at Cracker Barrel. “The best part is that guests can enjoy this new sandwich plus other homestyle comfort food made with care like hand-breaded fried chicken tenders or scratch-made biscuit beignets right at home through their favorite on-demand delivery partners.”
Friendly’s Restaurants is rolling out a dozen new menu items spanning salads, burgers, pasta and melts. The Doritos Cool Ranch chopped cheeseburger has pepper jack cheese, onions, jalapeños and salsa, topped with ranch dressing and Cool Ranch tortilla chips in a ciabatta roll. The Tex-Mex Alfredo Taco Pasta has a Bolognese-style Tex-Mex meat sauce and pasta tossed in a creamy alfredo sriracha taco sauce. A new ice cream flavor is Barking Pretzel, featuring brown sugar ice cream swirled with peanut butter, chocolate-coated pretzel pieces and salty pretzel bark pieces.
“As the third oldest restaurant chain in the United States, Friendly’s is far more than just a name, it is a collection of stories, memories, ideas, and the loving guests who have walked through its doors,” said Roberto De Angelis, chief experience officer of Friendly’s Restaurants. “We want to stay true to this wonderful heritage, while also continuing to evolve, so after carefully studying the emotional connection between our guests and our brand, we are updating our menu. We are keeping the items guests love, eliminating others, and adding sensational new offerings. The result is a menu that both satisfies our longtime guests and is also bold enough to go after those who have not recently considered Friendly’s for a dining experience.”
New at Great Steak is a honey sriracha chicken sandwich, including a crispy chicken breast tossed in a honey sriracha sauce, topped with mayonnaise in a brioche bun. The chain also is offering honey sriracha chicken fries, which contains french fries topped with chunks of crispy chicken breast, honey sriracha sauce and sour cream.
“We are excited to bring our guests two new sweet and spicy items featuring the mouth-watering combination of honey and sriracha,” said Heather Marini, national marketing manager for Great Steak. “And with our new catering options, guests can bring the fresh, grilled flavors of Great Steak to their homes and offices.”
Krispy Kreme, Inc. is bringing back its Original Glazed Cinnamon Roll as a Sunday “exclusive” at participating stores. The Original Glazed Cinnamon Roll is made with yeast-raised dough rolled with cinnamon and then glazed with the chain’s signature glaze.
“Our Original Glazed Cinnamon Roll was very well received when we introduced it last year for a limited time,” said Dave Skena, chief marketing officer at Krispy Kreme. “When we get a fan reaction like that, we want to give them what they want. And there’s no cinnamon roll better than ours; hand-cut and covered in our iconic Original Glaze.”
Spicy chicken is debuting at Moe’s Southwest Grill for a limited time. It is made with a “secret kicked-up house-made sauce” and may be added to any burrito, taco, quesadilla or stack.
New offerings at The Counter include the PB&J Burger, topped with angus beef, American cheese, peanut butter sauce, jelly ketchup and fried onion strings on a multigrain bun. The Ultimate PB&J Shake has peanut butter, vanilla bean ice cream, a grape jelly drizzle, whipped cream and two miniature peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
“We are excited to introduce the new PB&J Burger and the Ultimate PB&J Shake for a limited time,” said Lindsay Seli, director of marketing at Kahala Brands, parent company of The Counter. “Our guests will get to experience a childhood favorite in a completely new way. Our secret peanut butter sauce and jelly ketchup are the perfect duo to enhance the juiciness of our all-natural angus beef.”
Tim Hortons’ Refreshers line of iced beverages are made with organic fruit juice. Flavors include the returning orange tangerine and the new strawberry coconut made with coconut milk.
May
2024
More product innovation introduced at the show, including new plant-based offerings.
New introductions debut in the pantry aisles and refrigerated sections.