Menu Development

  • McDonald's new McCrispy chicken strips.
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    Courtesy of McDonald's
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    McDonald’s chicken strips mark first permanent menu addition in 4 years

    The chain needs a menu win — and a leg up on fast-growing chicken competitors — after last year’s value and LTO successes were offset by an E. Coli outbreak.

    By • April 25, 2025
  • Omar Epps as the Sauce Boss in a Zaxbys campaign
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    Courtesy of Zaxbys
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    Q&A

    Zaxbys’ CMO on breaking through the chicken category with ‘sauce’

    The chain’s first work from Goodby Silverstein & Partners introduces a brand character that speaks to both signature sauces and cool charisma.

    By Chris Kelly • April 23, 2025
  • A photograph of chefs in a kitchen. Explore the Trendline➔
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    sam edwards via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Menu development

    Restaurants big and small are experimenting with their menus to align with the preferences of on-the-go diners and mitigate the impact of rising food costs, supply chain disruption and shrinking consumer discretionary funds. 

    By Restaurant Dive staff
  • Wawa
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    Retrieved from Wawa.
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    10 notable c-store foodservice launches this past month

    Convenience retailers debuted fresh takes on sandwiches, smoothies and more in March and April. Here’s what caught our attention.

    By Brett Dworski • April 21, 2025
  • A person holding an order of Taco Bell chicken nuggets, nacho fries and a drink.
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    Courtesy of Taco Bell
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    Taco Bell Nuggets return, teasing more Crispy Chicken menu items

    After a strong initial performance, the chain is using the Nuggets LTO as a test run for adding Crispy Chicken to its regular menu next year.

    By • April 16, 2025
  • Chili's Fast Food Financing pop-up
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    Courtesy of Chili's Grill & Bar
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    Chili’s pop-up finances fast food meals in latest dig at rising prices

    A store emulating payday loan retailers doles out gift cards to “approved” visitors and serves a new burger positioned against the Quarter Pounder.

    By Peter Adams • April 16, 2025
  • Three hands hold up various breakfast sandwiches from Portillo's
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    Permission granted by Portillo's
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    Portillo’s to break into breakfast with pilot

    The fast casual chain will begin testing breakfast on April 15 at five select Chicagoland locations as part of its menu innovation strategy.

    By • Updated April 11, 2025
  • Potbelly's new prime rib steak sandwich.
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    Courtesy of Potbelly
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    Potbelly adds prime rib sandwich to menu

    As fast casual chains look to capture new occasions, premium proteins are a prominent part of menu makeovers.

    By • April 11, 2025
  • Collage of Panera campaign assets
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    Courtesy of Panera
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    Panera reintroduces brand with focus on dine-in cafe experience

    “It Just Meals Good,” the chain’s first work from 72andSunny, captures a variety of occasions for eating at Panera, whether catching up with a kid or an ex. 

    By Peter Adams • April 10, 2025
  • A hand dips a chicken tender into a sauce
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    Courtesy of Wingstop
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    Wingstop launches NYC pop-up to spotlight tenders

    Chicken tenders are having a menu moment and could help the fast casual chain continue its wild sales momentum.

    By • April 9, 2025
  • An image of several food items on a table from First Watch's LTO menu with two people partially in view in the background
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    Permission granted by First Watch
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    Why First Watch takes 18 months to develop seasonal menus

    The breakfast chain goes on “flavor tours” to inspire its LTOs, which it rotates every 10 weeks in order to keep up with evolving diner demands.

    By • April 7, 2025
  • President Donald Trump waves to a crowd at the White House on April 2, 2025.
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    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
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    Trump installs 10% baseline tariff, country-specific duties

    The president said he will levy import taxes on a wide range of countries, based on White House calculations. The National Restaurant Association said tariffs will only exacerbate pricing problems for the industry.

    By Philip Neuffer • April 3, 2025
  • Fogo de Chão in Reston, Virgnia
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    Courtesy of Fogo de Chão
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    Fogo de Chão adds lobster, crab to churrasco menu

    The Brazilian steakhouse appended a new slate of seafood to its core offerings in an effort to expand its appeal to more consumers.

    By • March 27, 2025
  • An image of a group of people with a person in the front holding a cake with an American flag on it wiht the words TGI Fridays
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    Permission granted by TGI Fridays
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    Q&A

    TGI Fridays CEO says the brand is ready to grow again post-bankruptcy

    Ray Blanchette returned to the restaurant chain earlier this year and will help lead future growth, menu innovation and franchising.

    By • March 25, 2025
  • An image of a black building with windows and The Cheesecake Factory signage.
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    Maddie Meyer via Getty Images
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    The Cheesecake Factory overhauls menu

    The chain, which typically updates its menu every year, rolled out an extensive list of starters, entrees and beverages and removed 13 items.

    By • March 24, 2025
  • A "Market Plate" from Just Salad
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    Courtesy of Just Salad
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    Just Salad serves up dinner plates

    Following in Sweetgreen’s footsteps, the fast casual chain wants to boost its dinner daypart with heartier meals.

    By • March 20, 2025
  • An image of a gray building with a black sign that says "&pizza"
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    Permission granted by &pizza
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    &pizza pivots to franchising

    Pizzas formulated for off-premise dining could help &pizza escape the problems of the fast casual pizza sector as it grows beyond the East Coast.

    By • March 20, 2025
  • Maverik
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    Brett Dworski/Restaurant Dive
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    Deep Dive

    Inside Maverik’s decision to cut Kum & Go’s foodservice program

    The move, which coincided with nixing the Iowa retailer's mobile ordering platform, underscores the culturally dissonant integration between the companies, several former corporate staffers say.

    By Brett Dworski • March 18, 2025
  • A photograph of the inside of a Corner Bakery with chairs and booths in the foreground and ordering counter in the background.
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    Courtesy of Corner Bakery
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    Corner Bakery invests over $6M in cafe remodels, other brand improvements

    Two years after emerging from bankruptcy, the chain has completed seven remodels and plans to invest another $500,000 in additional renovations.

    By • March 18, 2025
  • An image of a man leaving a Chipotle. He is holding a brown bag.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Tracking the same-store sales of 21 major restaurant chains

    Sales at pizza and casual dining brands have struggled, while QSR giants like McDonald’s and Starbucks saw anemic changes and fast casuals Cava and Chipotle made big gains. 

    By , , • Updated March 20, 2025
  • Casey's
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    Retrieved from Casey's.
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    Casey’s sees strong growth from food innovation

    Recent coffee and chicken wing launches plus strength in areas like bakery and hot sandwiches helped grow the company’s inside margins to over 34%.

    By Jessica Loder • March 14, 2025
  • Coffee drips into a white ceramic mug emblazoned with the Starbucks logo
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    Courtesy of Starbucks
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    Brian Niccol’s 6-month update on Starbucks turnaround plan

    The coffee chain’s CEO said investments in store experience are ramping up, but union members say the brand isn’t spending enough on hourly workers.

    By • Updated March 13, 2025
  • A rendering of the interior of a convenience store. There are tables and chairs, a fireplace, benches and TV screens on oen wall showing a variety of sports.
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    Permission granted by Rutter's
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    Rutter’s announces new stores with bar and lounge

    This design is the latest in a series of updates the Pennsylvania-based retailer has rolled out over the past few years.

    By Jessica Loder • March 12, 2025
  • An image of a chicken big mac sold by a McDonald's duplicate set up by the chain to promote the sandwich
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    Courtesy of McDonald's
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    McDonald’s creates ‘restaurant experience’ team to sharpen menu innovation

    The Golden Arches’ new team replaces its customer experience unit and includes three cohorts dedicated to chicken, beef and beverage/dessert.

    By • March 11, 2025
  • An image of six different cocktails from Walk-On's
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    Permission granted by Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux
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    Walk-On’s redesigns menu, adds new cocktails

    The changes are designed to better attract the brand’s core audience of “sports enthusiasts” and “team moms.”

    By • March 10, 2025
  • An image of three noodle dishes from Noodles & Company
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    Permission granted by Noodles & Company
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    Noodles & Company to roll out 9 new dishes next week

    Its initial menu update in October helped drive positive same-store sales during the fourth quarter.

    By • March 7, 2025