Berries pop all over menus … plus more trends of the week

Berries are currrently trending on menus. | Photo: Shutterstock; other photos courtesy of the brands.

Warmer weather brings more fresh produce to the menu, and berries are some of the first to appear. Strawberries are most abundant this week, showing up as a fruit and/or flavor in salads, acai bowls, French toast, beverages and more, but blueberries and blackberries are not far behind. Chicken continues to be the most popular protein, with new sandwiches and salads ready for dining in or to-go, but there’s lots of activity in burgers, too. Here are the top trends hitting menus now.

It’s the berries

The biggest news at Cava is the addition of Glazed Salmon to the menu as a protein choice—the fast casual’s first seafood item. Guests can opt for salmon in a build-your-own bowl, but it’s also the star of the curated Salmon + Strawberry Sesame Bowl, sauced with tzatziki and served over brown rice and spinach with roasted red pepper hummus, Persian cucumbers, feta cheese, tomato and onion, sumac slaw, and strawberry sesame dressing. There’s also a Salmon + Yogurt Dill Bowl sans strawberries.

Le Pain Quotidien has introduced a whopping 11 new items, including an indulgent Pistachio Strawberry French Toast made with brioche and pistachio frangipane, topped with sweetened whipped cream, strawberries, pistachios and maple syrup. Strawberries also show up in other forms in Strawberry Babka Brioche, with strawberry jam baked into a babka-brioche roll and a sprinkle of strawberry sugar on top. To sip, there’s Strawberry Matcha Latte, a combo of matcha, milk and a sauce of strawberry purée and white chocolate.

Strawberries show up in three items at Le Pain Quotidien,

The protein-rich Superberry Cloud Bowl at Playa Bowls features açaí blend in one half of the bowl and spirulina blend on the other, both enhanced with vanilla protein powder and topped with strawberry, blueberry, blueberry flax granola and coconut whip. Berries are also freshening up the Superberry Cloud Smoothie, a blend of açaí and chocolate protein with strawberry, banana, and coconut milk.

The Human Bean taps berries for beverages.

Beverages benefit from berries at a couple of concepts, including Gong Cha. The bubble tea chain launched Strawberry Levitea made with strawberry black tea and green tea jelly, Along with HoneyBerry Levitea, a strawberry and honey black tea with green tea jelly. Levitea is a new low-calorie, low-sugar beverage addition to the Gong Cha’s permanent menu. Coffee café The Human Bean has a Strawberry Fields Lemonade and blueberry-flavored Matcha Berry, while at Hardee’s, the Triple Berry Sparkler—a mix of Sprite with strawberries, raspberries and blackberries—is available for a limited time. Joining the Hardee’s lineup as well is iced Triple Berry Tea and a Triple Berry Hand-Scooped Ice Cream Shake.

Also on the sweet side, there’s Strawberry Cheesecake Addiction Custard blended with strawberries and cheesecake bites at Good Times Burgers and Frozen Custard.

Chicken rules

Chili’s leads in chicken launches, with six variations of its new Big Crispy Chicken Sandwich. Starting the lineup is the basic sandwich, layered with a larger, hand-battered chicken breast on a toasted bun that the casual-dining chain claims is 82% bigger than McDonald’s McCrispy filet; mayonnaise and pickles complete the build. Variations include the Spicy Big Crispy Chicken Sandwich with spicy mayo; Honey-Chipotle Big Crispy Chicken Sandwich with the chicken filet tossed in honey-chipotle sauce; Nashville Hot Big Crispy Chicken Sandwich with Nashville hot seasoning; Buffalo Big Crispy Chicken Sandwich with Buffalo sauce; and the Deluxe Big Crispy Chicken Sandwich topped with bacon, Swiss cheese, mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato. All are joining the permanent menu.

Chili’s Big Crispy Chicken Sandwich.

Two chicken sandwiches are making a comeback on the menu at Pollo Campero. The Buffalo Slaw Sandwich features a fried chicken filet tossed in ever-popular Buffalo sauce and topped with coleslaw on a buttered brioche bun, while the Queso Bacon Sandwich layers the same chicken filet with bacon and green chile queso blanco on a brioche bun.

Summer barbecue aromas are in the air at Habit Burger & Grill with the return of its BBQ Chicken Salad. The fan favorite combines chargrilled chicken with bacon, onion tanglers, aged white cheddar cheese and barbecue-ranch dressing. The chicken is now added hot off the grill as an upgrade to the salad.

El Pollo Loco’s Mexican-spiced Loco Tenders.

Loco Tenders will be available at El Pollo Loco starting Thursday, after debuting at Coachella last weekend. The new item has a light, Mexican-spiced breading that coats whole-muscle white meat chicken and comes in two versions: classic and spicy. Diners can pair the tenders with dipping sauces such as the signature Pollo Loco Sauce, creamy cilantro, BBQ and baja lime in three-, four- or six-piece meals. Tenders are also the chicken of choice in Velvet Taco’s 420 Blazin’ taco, available through Tuesday. The filling includes mac & cheese, chicken tenders coated in Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, red chile aioli and Fruity Pebbles cereal in a flour tortilla.

Burger boom

Bobby’s Burgers by Bobby Flay taps into the Buffalo flavor profile with its latest launch. The returning Buffalo Burger is a build of a beef patty, blue cheese, Buffalo hot sauce, ranch dressing and watercress on a bun.

The Buffalo Burger at Bobby’s Burgers by Bobby Flay.

The Prime Rib Burger at Hardee’s is one the entries in the fast-food chain’s current prime rib promotion. It includes a beef patty topped with prime rib dipped in au jus with garlic cheddar sauce and grilled onions on a toasted brioche bun, priced at $8.99. But full-service Denny’s offers some stiff price competition to QSRs with its new He-Man Battle Burger. It features a beef patty topped with pulled slow-cooked beef, bacon, barbecue sauce, lettuce, tomato, red onions and pickles, served with wavy-cut fries, for about $8.

And the Western Bacon Cheeseburger at Native Grill & Wings was developed in collaboration with the National Pork Board. This burger is layered with cheddar cheese, bacon, lettuce, honey barbecue sauce, onion strings and garlic spread on a bun. 

To get a look at all the newest menu items and limited-time offers, check out Menu Tracker.

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