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Menu Tracker: New items from Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell and Outback SteakhouseMenu Tracker: New items from Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell and Outback Steakhouse

Plus innovation at Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii, Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar, Buffalo Wild Wings, Carl’s Jr., Chopt, Culver’s, Dutch Bros, Farmer Boys, Gott’s Roadside, The Habit Burger Grill, Hardee’s, Hot Head Burritos, Insomnia Cookies, Jamba, Jollibee, La Madeleine, Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, Lenny’s Grill & Subs, Rush Bowls, Smashburger, Sweetgreen, Taco Cabana, Velvet Taco and Wings Over

Bret Thorn, Senior Food Editor

August 19, 2022

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Taco Bell has long been praised by animal rights groups and vegetarians for its many high-protein vegetarian options, thanks to the fact that beans are always on offer on the menu, but the chain is also testing the waters of meat substitutes, but only in Birmingham, Ala., at the moment. Alabama might seem like an unusual choice to test plant-based protein, but many chains have reported enthusiastic trial of these meat analogs across the country, not just in the trendy coastal areas where their popularity might be expected. The challenge is getting people to come back for more once they have tried it the first time. Maybe Taco Bell will lead the way in establishing whether customers prefer plant-based meat analogs over actual plants, such as beans.

In other big chain news, Chick-fil-A is testing baked egg bites, sister chains Carl’s Jr and Hardee’s are testing items on King’s Hawaiian Bread, Buffalo Wild Wings has pizza topped with boneless wings and Outback Steakhouse has Nashville hot wings.

Elsewhere, the seasonal phenomenon that is pumpkin spice continues its progress with new items at Jamba and La Madeleine.

Culver’s is using Kellogg’s granola in its latest custard flavor, The Habit Burger Grill has a chicken sandwich with pesto, and Smashburger is reprising its spicy chicken sandwich.

Lenny’s Grill & Subs has a brand new spicy chicken sandwich and Wings Over has one that isn’t spicy but has a lot of cheese.

Jollibee has opened a new flagship location in New York City and has introduced some new items there, possibly to roll out nationwide.

Gott’s Roadside has a seasonal BLT with heirloom tomatoes, plus avocado, Chopt has new dressings and new salads to dress them with, and Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar is slicing poblano peppers, battering them, frying them and serving them like French fries.

Taco Cabana is working with Hatch green chiles.

Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii is part of a small but growing trend of blending cold brew coffee with lemonade, and Dutch Bros is expanding its energy drink line with one flavored with orange and vanilla.

Farmer Boys has chicken Caesar salad, Hot Head Burritos has a new spicy chicken burrito, and Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar has added to its line of frozen TV dinners.

Sweetgreen is reprising popular items from summers past, Insomnia Cookies has some back-to-school treats, Rush Bowls has a new bowl inspired by the Mai Tai cocktail, and Velvet Taco is taking a Puerto Rican stewed chicken preparation and adding some Mediterranean elements for its Weekly Taco Feature.

About the Author

Bret Thorn

Senior Food Editor, Nation's Restaurant News

Senior Food & Beverage Editor

Bret Thorn is senior food & beverage editor of Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality.

Hi is responsible for spotting and reporting on F&B trends across the country for both publications. 

He is the co-host of a podcast, Menu Talk with Pat and Bret, which features interviews with chefs, food & beverage authorities, and other experts in foodservice operations.

From 2005 to 2008 he also wrote the Kitchen Dish column for The New York Sun, covering restaurant openings and chefs’ career moves in New York City.

He joined Nation’s Restaurant News in 1999 after spending about five years in Thailand, where he wrote articles about business, banking and finance as well as restaurant reviews and food columns for Manager magazine and Asia Times newspaper. He joined Restaurant Hospitality’s staff in 2016 while retaining his position at NRN. 

A magna cum laude graduate of Tufts University in Medford, Mass., with a bachelor’s degree in history, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Thorn also studied traditional French cooking at Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine in Paris. He spent his junior year of college in China, studying Chinese language, history and culture for a semester each at Nanjing University and Beijing University. While in Beijing, he also worked for ABC News during the protests and ultimate crackdown in and around Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Thorn’s monthly column in Nation’s Restaurant News won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for best staff-written editorial or opinion column.

He served as president of the International Foodservice Editorial Council, or IFEC, in 2005.

Thorn wrote the entry on comfort food in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, 2nd edition, published in 2012. He also wrote a history of plated desserts for the Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, published in 2015.

He was inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014.

A Colorado native originally from Denver, Thorn lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Bret Thorn’s areas of expertise include food and beverage trends in restaurants, French cuisine, the cuisines of Asia in general and Thailand in particular, restaurant operations and service trends. 

Bret Thorn’s Experience: 

Nation’s Restaurant News, food & beverage editor, 1999-Present
New York Sun, columnist, 2005-2008 
Asia Times, sub editor, 1995-1997
Manager magazine, senior editor and restaurant critic, 1992-1997
ABC News, runner, May-July, 1989

Education:
Tufts University, BA in history, 1990
Peking University, studied Chinese language, spring, 1989
Nanjing University, studied Chinese language and culture, fall, 1988 
Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine, Cértificat Elémentaire, 1986

Email: [email protected]

Social Media:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bret-thorn-468b663/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bret.thorn.52
Twitter: @foodwriterdiary
Instagram: @foodwriterdiary

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