Luckin Coffee turns to vegetables and fruits for its wellness beverage lineup. | Photos courtesy of the brands
It’s a summer of split personalities on restaurant menus. Some operators are offering lighter, healthier fare to beat the heat, while others are amping up the fun factor with candy-colored drinks and dippable foods. That is the overriding theme this week, but there’s plenty of other menu activity with lobster rolls, tacos, fries, and more making news, too.
The Health Series from Luckin Coffee is a collection of three limited-time functional beverages crafted with fruit and vegetable juices, jasmine tea, and wellness-focused ingredients. The lineup includes Vital Kale, a vegetable-fruit drink with chia seeds; Sunny Citrus, a blend of orange, carrot, and apple with jasmine tea; and Zen Berry, a purple-hued beverage with fruit and vegetable juices, jasmine tea, and chia seeds.
Then there are Dunkin’s pink drinks, part of the King Kylie Collection, a collaboration with Kylie Jenner. The Candy Pink Lemonade Refresher is mixed with pink pineapple flavor and dragon fruit pieces, while the Pink Lemon Drop Suncloud Lemonade is topped with strawberry cold foam, and the Vanilla Pink Cloud Latte combines espresso and milk with French vanilla flavor and the same pink foam. Outside of this collab, Dunkin’ adds summer fun to the menu with Coconut Suncloud Limeade, Chocolate Covered Strawberry Iced Coffee, Fluffernutter Cloud Latte, and a Freeze Pop Suncloud Lemonade featuring freeze pop flavors mixed with lemonade and oat milk and topped with sweet cold foam and dragon fruit pieces.
Harry Potter is Gong cha’s beverage theme. The Patronus Elderflower Powder Lime Green Tea or Patronus Elderflower Powder Lime Black Tea are both topped with elderflower foaming powder. They were created to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the film “HarryPotter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” originally released in England.
Harry Potter-themed drinks at Gong cha.
Jumping back to the healthier side is a fruity beverage lineup from Juice It Up. The Passion Fruit-Orange-Guava Smoothie includes pineapple and orange sherbet, while Mango Lychee Delightful Blend, Strawberry Guava Delightful Blend, and Blueberry Pomegranate Delightful Blend combine those flavors with coconut water. Two lemonades are also boosted with fruit juices: Passion Fruit Guava Lemonade topped with mango and Prickly Pear Raspberry Lemonade topped with raspberry. The food lineup also leans healthy, with items such as Vegan Yakisoba Noodle Salad, Hot Honey Chicken Crunch Salad, and Barbecue Chicken Salad.
Meanwhile, Dutch Bros is having some fun both creating and naming its summer drinks. Cosmic Cookie Dough blends coffee with chocolate chip cookie dough flavor and chocolate sauce, finished with a topping of cold foam and cookie dough pieces. Stardust is an energy drink with iced lemonade, Myst Energy Refresher, strawberry and watermelon flavors, and Stardust candy, and the Supernova combines Myst Energy Refresher or sparkling water with peach, passion fruit, orange, and strawberry flavors. Meanwhile, Pretzelmaker taps Sour Patch Kids candies for a Watermelon Lemonade and Frozen Watermelon Lemonade, both sweetened with Sour Patch watermelon flavor.
Eating healthier can do good at Just Salad. The new Rethink Food Bowl, a combo of supergreens, basmati rice, braised chicken, roasted broccoli, feta cheese, and pickled red cabbage with lemon basil vinaigrette, was developed in partnership with Rethink Food, a hunger relief organization that provides free meals to New Yorkers in need. Through July 31, Just Salad is donating 10% of the proceeds from the Rethink Food Bowl, as well as round-up-at-the-register donations, to Rethink Food.
Just Salad’s Rethink Food Bowl
Fries are fun, especially when they’re loaded with flavorful ingredients. Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill launched a trio of loaded fries, starting with Feisty Feta Fries — crispy shawarma fries topped with fiery feta, harissa chicken, and tomato cucumber salad. There’s also Gyro Feta Fries, described as crispy Greek fries piled with gyro meat, crumbled feta, tomato cucumber salad, red onions, and a drizzle of tzatziki, and Garlic Steak Fries topped with steak, dill feta, tomato cucumber salad, and Mediterranean garlic sauce.
Fuzzy’s Taco Shop rolled out a fun-in-the-sun Beach Club menu of summer’s greatest hits. Included is a Baja Fish Taco featuring Pacifico beer-battered fish served on a soft corn tortilla with shredded cabbage, cilantro-lime crema, pickled onions, signature Fuzzy Dust, cilantro, and a lime wedge. It’s joined by a Cali-Style Steak Taco with grilled steak, seasoned fries, house-made guacamole, pico, pickled jalapeños and chipotle aioli in a flour tortilla. Brisket Queso Fries are topped with shredded cheese, queso, pico, pickled jalapeños, cilantro-lime crema, chipotle aioli, and beef brisket, and the rum-based Malibu Daydream is available to sip.
Shredded Beef Brisket is also the summer special at Moe’s Southwest Grill. The slow-smoked, seasoned, limited-time protein can be ordered in burritos, tacos, nachos, and bowls. Speaking of tacos, Gott’s Roadside launched its Crispy Chicken Tacos made with Zab’s Hot Honey Chicken Tenders and Brentwood corn. They’re served with green cabbage & cilantro slaw, chipotle mayo, cilantro-lime crema, and queso fresco in flour tortillas. The tacos are on the menu until September 9, but the Crispy Soft Shell Crab Sandwich goes off July 15.
Burton’s Grill & Bar offers two lobster roll styles.
Few foods say “summer” better than lobster rolls, and the rolls keep rolling out. Burton’s Grill & Bar is the latest to launch theirs, offering two lobster roll styles — Maine-style filled with chilled lobster mixed with housemade aioli and Connecticut-style filled with warm lobster and melted butter. Both are served in a brioche bun with fries for $29.
Glory Days Grill & Sports House is bringing back its lobster roll for the summer, available through the end of July. This version features Maine lobster claw and knuckle meat lightly tossed in mayonnaise and celery salt and piled in a grilled New England-style bun. It comes with crispy fries and coleslaw for $25.99, and for another $4, diners have the option of adding a 16-ounce Homerun Margarita.
Barbecue is another must-have summer flavor, and Jack in the Box has it covered. In test in Texas are the Smokin’ BBQ Bonus Jack, a grilled beef patty with onions, American cheese, shredded lettuce, and “Smoke Show Smoky Barbecue Sauce” on a toasted bakery bun. Also on offer is Smokin’ BBQ Brisket Burnt Ends Sandwich made with six-hour smoked barbecue brisket burnt ends topped with onions, American cheese, and the same smoky barbecue sauce. Available nationwide is the Philly-Style Bonus Jack and Philly Cheesesteak, takes on that classic, as well as Loaded Potato Wedges in classic and spicy versions.
The Better Summer Swirl at Go Green Yogurt.
Beauty products company Kiehl’s teamed up with Go Greek Yogurt on the Better Summer Swirl, a frozen yogurt cup. The item features banana swirl froyo with coconut and pineapple, topped with cacao drizzle and cookie crumble. Customers receive a sample of Kiehl’s Better UV Serum SPF 50+ with their purchase.
For more food and drink news of the week, check out Menu Tracker.
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