Lacey Muszynski / Cheapism
Fast-food restaurants are always innovating (and competing), and that means there's always some new menu item to try. McDonald's, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell, Subway, and other big chains introduce limited-time offerings regularly to entice customers to keep coming back. Here's what's new this month in the fast-food world.
Prices and availability are subject to change and may vary by location.
Burger King is taking aim at McDonald's beloved and discontinued Snack Wraps with the debut of Royal Crispy Wraps. Each one contains a crispy chicken strip, lettuce, and tomato inside a flour tortilla, with either honey mustard, spicy glaze, or creamy Royal sauce. That's not the only new chicken, either. The Italian BK Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich includes the chain's fried chicken breast topped with marinara and melted mozzarella, while the Honey Mustard BK Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich includes honey mustard, Swiss, bacon, lettuce, and tomato.
Cheesesteak is coming in pizza form at the Hut this month. The brand-new cheesesteak pizza is topped with creamy alfredo sauce, strips of sirloin steak, green bell peppers, onions, parmesan, and oregano. You can also get it sandwich style in a melt that comes with a side of ranch for dipping.
Taco Bell's Volcano Menu is gone (here's what we thought of the Lava Sauce), but another fan favorite is back this month. The Rolled Chicken Tacos are the Bell's version of taquitos, filled with shredded chicken in a corn tortilla, deep fried and served with spicy ranch for dipping. There's also a new Cheesy Jalapeno Mexican Pizza variation with nacho cheese sauce and pickled jalapenos. And finally, on the sweet side, you can grab new Strawberry Twists — they're like Cinnamon Twists but with pink, strawberry-flavored sugar coating.
There's a new ice cream treat in town at McDonald's: the Peanut Butter Crunch McFlurry. It's got chocolate peanut butter cookie pieces and crispy cereal mixed into vanilla soft serve. There's also a new "As Featured In Meal" that ties in with the Marvel TV series "Loki." Each meal comes with a Loki-branded sweet and sour sauce, plus McNuggets, Big Mac or Quarter Pounder, fries, and a drink.
In case you missed it, the chain also announced that it's making changes to improve its burgers, including melting the cheese on top, adding onions to the patties on the grill, and cooking the beef at a higher temperature. It all sounds a little like PR spin to us, but you'll have to try it for yourself.
Related: 35 Secrets for Better, Cheaper Meals at Your Favorite Chains
Strangely, Arby's has found success with its burgers over the years, so there's a new, unique burger coming to the menu on September 12, 2023. The Big Game Burger features a meat patty with a blend of venison, elk, and beef. It's topped with Swiss cheese, crispy onions, pickles, and cherry steak sauce for an unusual sandwich with a hefty $9 price tag. For something more familiar, boneless wings are back, in both buffalo and new hot honey BBQ.
Related: Fast-Food Dishes With Downright Obsessive Followings
Love it or hate it, it's Pumpkin Spice Latte time again! Starbucks' fall menu was released on August 24 this year, and here's what it includes.
Of course, Dunkin' has also released its fall pumpkin spice menu to the masses. Here's what the fall menu includes for 2023.
Looking for more A.M. options? Check out our roundup of the best fast-food breakfast deals going on right now.
Not to be outdone by the big coffee chains, Wendy's is jumping on the pumpkin spice bandwagon with the brand new Pumpkin Spice Frosty. Starting September 12, 2023, you'll be able to grab a Frosty with hints of pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg. You'll also be able to get a Pumpkin Spice Frosty Cream Cold Brew if you need your PS in drink form.
If sandwiches are more your style, there's a new Loaded Nacho Cheeseburger and Chicken Sandwich that are both topped with roasted poblano queso, American cheese, crispy tortilla strips and corn, and spicy chipotle sauce on a new jalapeno-cheddar bun. You can also get that gooey queso on new Queso Fries.
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Stuffed crust pizza is a getting a pungent upgrade at Papa Johns. The Garlic Epic Stuffed Crust pizza includes garlic-seasoned cheese inside the crust, a garlic parmesan sauce baked on the crust, and garlic parmesan seasoning. And don't forget there's always the garlic sauce for dipping, in case that wasn't enough garlic for you.
There's a new breakfast sandwich at White Castle. The French Toast Slider includes egg, American cheese, and sausage or bacon between two pieces of cinnamon swirl French toast. After breakfast, you can also grab the new Cheddar Cheese Rings, which are shaped like onion rings, but filled with cheddar.
The Dairy Queen fall Blizzard menu is out, and you better believe it incudes pumpkin.
Rejoice, because it's fried pie season again! Hardee's is diving right in with the peaches and cream version, filled with peach pie filling and cream cheese in a crispy pastry crust. For something more like breakfast, try the new Super Sausage Biscuit that comes with two sausage patties, two slices of cheese, and a fried egg.
The new deep-fried hotness at Sonic is something you'd normally find at a sit-down restaurant, not a fast food chain. Buffalo Chicken Dip Bites look like fried ravioli, but they're crispy and stuffed with chicken, buffalo sauce, and cheddar cheese. For some reason, they don't come with a dipping sauce, which seems like a big oversight. On the burger side, there's also a new Bacon Peppercorn Ranch Grilled Cheese Burger.
If you're in search of more Sonic deals, check out our ranking of the Sonic Value Menu.
Whoa — Panera doesn't have a pumpkin spice latte. Instead, they bust out the Cinnamon Crunch Latte every fall with espresso, foamed milk, cinnamon syrup, whipped cream, and cinnamon crunch topping. And new this season is the weird-but-possibly-delicious ham, egg and cheese sandwich on a Cinnamon Crunch Bagel.
There's a new hearty protein option at Del Taco right now. The honey chipotle BBQ brisket is pit-smoked for 16 hours and shredded. You can get it in a quesadilla, in a burrito with fries and bacon, and on top of loaded fries, all with smoky honey chipotle barbecue sauce.
Popeyes' Girl Dinner may be gone already, but it's been replaced with something more substantial. The Sweet 'N Spicy Wings feature the chain's crispy breaded wings tossed in a sweet and hot blend of chili, garlic, and ginger. For dessert, grab an Oreo Cheesecake Cup.
Chick-fil-A has a brand new Southern-inspired item: the Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich. It's the chain's fried chicken breast topped with creamy, cheddar-filled pimento cheese spread, pickled jalapeno slices, and honey. It's pretty great as is, but we think it's even more amazing with the spicy chicken filet swapped in.
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The Southwest "Zalad" salad is still at Zaxby's, and it includes tomatoes, roasted corn, cheddar jack cheese, tortilla strips, and your choice of chicken with Southwest ranch dressing. But what really gives off lingering summer vibes is the brand new funnel cake. The deep fried, fluffy treat is sprinkled with powdered sugar just like at the fair, and comes with a more fall-esque caramel sauce for dipping.
There's a bunch of new items on Whataburger's menu this month.
Bojangles has sauced up its popular fried chicken sandwich. The Bo's Carolina Gold chicken sandwich includes dill pickles, coleslaw, and a golden, mustard-based barbecue sauce, while the Bo's BBQ chicken sandwich includes sweet and smoky barbecue sauce on buttermilk fried chicken.
Related: From Bo-Tato Rounds to Dirty Rice: 6 Bojangles Sides, Ranked
While everyone else is excited about PSLs, Little Caesars is hyped about football. The new 4-Quarter Calzony is a cross between a pizza and a calzone, and it includes toppings of pepperoni, sausage, bacon, and ham. It also comes with a side of Crazy Sauce for dipping in between QB sneaks. Wash it down with limited edition Pepsi Pineapple, a soda you can only get at Little Caesars.
There is a lot going on at Jack in the Box this month. Here's everything that's new.
You won't have to go to Cheesecake Factory and spend $10 just to get a slice of cheesecake anymore. Long John Silver's has added two cheesecake options from Cheesecake Factory to its menu: classic cheesecake with graham cracker crust, and triple chocolate cheesecake with chocolate cookie crust, chocolate ganache, and chocolate chips.
After a successful test run of wraps this summer, Jimmy John's is officially adding wraps to the permanent menu. There are three to choose from.
There's a brand new noodle bowl at Noodles & Co.: Chicken Parmesan. It's the first ever baked dish on the menu, and it contains penne pasta tossed in marinara, topped with crispy parmesan-crusted chicken and mozzarella cheese. It's only available to Noodles Rewards members until September 20, after which anyone will be able to order it.
Subway has added four new Deli Heroes sandwiches to the menu:
Football season has arrived, and KFC figures you want hot wings. New Hot & Spicy Wings debut on September 10, and they're marinated in spicy seasonings and coated in the chain's Extra Crispy breading. If you have a lot of people to feed, the new Fill Up Box, with four pieces of chicken, a dozen nuggets, a side of fries, four biscuits, and dipping sauce, might be for you — though at $20, it's not a great deal.
There's a returning protein option at Qdoba. The Cholula hot and sweet chicken is made with grilled chicken thighs that are diced and tossed in Cholula hot sauce and honey. You can get it as your protein option in any burritos, bowls, tacos, and nachos.
Things are heating up at Shake Shack just in time for chilly weather. Here's everything that's on the new spicy limited-time menu.
A popular dip has returned to Church's: Purple Pepper Sauce. It's made with bell and habanero peppers, and it's sweet and hot with a jam-like consistency. You can get it with chicken tenders or add it to any chicken sandwich.
Wingstop just created a new way to enjoy its wings and fries. The Cajun Meal Deal covers fries and your choice of protein in cheese sauce, ranch, and Cajun seasoning, all in one beautifully messy takeout container. You can choose from a chicken sandwich, tenders, or boneless or bone-in wings. (See how Wingstop's sauce flavors stack up in our ranking.)
Panda Expess is capitalizing on the popularity of the Asian condiment chili crisp with a new entree. Chili Crisp Shrimp includes tempura battered shrimp mixed with peppers and onions in a spicy chili garlic sauce inspired by chili crisp.
Fazoli's is going full comfort food this fall with Pizza Baked Pastas. The three dishes include penne pasta in a tomato sauce topped with melted mozzarella cheese and various pizza toppings, including a Supreme version with pepperoni, sausage, bacon, onions, peppers, and onions; Classic with pepperoni; and Meaty with pepperoni, sausage, and bacon.
A fan favorite burger has returned to Culver's after a number of years. The Pepper Grinder Pub Burger is topped with Swiss and cheddar cheeses, two slices of bacon, and a spicy peppercorn mayo. It's all on a flavorful everything-seasoned bun topped with onions, garlic, and seeds.
