Smash burgers, pressing down on beef patties on a griddle and cooking them so they have crispy edges and a juicy interior, have been trending for a while now, and the big quick-service chains have taken notice. Jack in the Box offered one earlier this year, and now Sonic Drive-In has one (smaller chains are offering them too, including Burgerfi, Beef-A-Roo, The Pour House, Dave & Buster’s, and Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar).
Baja Fresh has new Golden State burritos, but it’s unclear what’s so Californian about them (let me know if you know), and Taco Time has a burrito stuffed with pork and cream cheese.
IHOP’s latest Pancake of the Month features lemon Oreos, Bruster’s has s’mores and blueberry cobbler flavored ice cream, and Burgerville is playing with marionberries, as it does at this time of year.
Junior’s, a chain we rarely hear from, has a new layered raspberry cheesecake, Nothing Bundt Cakes has a lemon raspberry Bundt, and La Madeleine has an Olympics-themed tart.
Dunkin’ is leveraging its Dunkin’terns marketing campaign by collaborating with one of those interns, chef-personality Nick DiGiovanni, for new iced coffee creations, just like the chain said it would.
Blaze Pizza, continuing its menu revamping ways, has a new handheld called a Fold, which is like a Calzone, and is the latest chain to dabble in hot honey, which Fuzzy’s Taco Shop is doing, too, and so is Velvet Taco with its Weekly Taco Feature.
Snappy Salads, a chain out of Dallas, has new sandwiches, and Ninety Nine Restaurant & Pub, in New England, is serving Prime rib on weekends.
Friendly’s has its latest round of kids conehead sundae’s, Gott’s Roadside has a lobster BLT, Tender Greens has Japanese curry, and you can now get ashwagandha and ginseng in your smoothies at Robeks.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]
