Summer doesn’t actually start until June 20, but the fruit and barbecue inspiration are already charging on to menus.
So is corn. There’s a lot of corn on menus this summer, including items from First Watch, Gott’s Roadside, Smokey Bones and a whole line of Mexican street-corn-inspired items at Tijuana Flats.
Wendy’s has brought back its strawberry chicken salad for the summer, Friendly’s has brought back its lobster roll, Mooyah has brought back its Campfire Burger and Sweetgreen has brought back a seasonal favorite of its own: burrata — mozzarella stuffed with cream and more mozzarella — available in different salads depending on the market.
Saladworks has reworked its customizable menu with a bunch of new curated items, and Grimaldi’s Pizzeria has introduced its summertime specials.
Culver’s has brought back its Pretzel Haus Pub Burger and introduced the first new custard Flavor of the Day since 2019 (stay tuned for another one next month).
Insomnia Cookies has new ice cream-inspired cookies and, in a similar vein, Krispy Kreme has lemonade-inspired doughnuts.
Del Taco is throwing its fried chicken hat in the ring, and sister brands Elevation and Fatburger, along with HoneyBaked Ham are the latest chains to partner with King’s Hawaiian.
Oath Pizza has a new crust made out of chickpeas, Yogurtland and 16 Handles have new vegan desserts, and Nekter Juice Bar has new items intended for functionality.
Berries and Key lime pancakes are on hand at Egg’s Up Grill, Frisch’s Big Boy has desserts with Oreo Wafers, Jamba has watermelon and blackberry specials and Pinkberry is focusing on mango.
For reasons that are unclear, Woody’s Bar-B-Q has three gun-themed burgers and Pure Green has a new drink in collaboration with Jonathan “Foodgod” Cheban.
Taco Time has a Doritos pie.
Tacodeli has items with products from local producers, Torchy’s Taco has a spicy Taco of the Month, Velvet Taco’s Weekly Taco Feature has flanks steak and chimichurri, and Voodoo Doughnut is celebrating Pride Month with a dessert decorated in rainbows.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]
Follow him on Twitter: @foodwriterdiary
