Menu Tracker: New items from Domino’s, Starbucks, and KFC
Menu Tracker
Plus innovation at Applebee's, Buffalo Wild Wings, CAVA, KFC, 7 Brew, Shake Shack, and more.
July 17, 2026
There’s news on the burger front this week. Bareburger has a new “blended burger” made by combining ground beef with roasted mushrooms and Shake Shack has a new West Coast lineup, which it says is inspired by the roadside burger joints of California. It’s also bringing back its take on the Big Mac, called the Big Shack (similar build, plus tomatoes). That was rolled out last year at a discount (for Shake Shack) of $9.99, but this time around it’s around $13. And Spread Bagelry has a bagel sandwich with a burger patty.
Applebee’s has a new Bacon Cheeseburger Wonton Taco, but it’s really an extension of its Chicken Wonton Tacos that were already on the menu.
In chicken news, KFC’s Popcorn Chicken is back, Carl’s Jr. has a new spicy chicken sandwich, and Golden Corral has chicken tenders (and shrimp) in peach sauce.
Speaking of peach, Whataburger has a new refresher and shake featuring that fruit.
There are also new frozen drinks and a shake at 7 Brew.
Buffalo's Café has a new sauce combining Buffalo and Cajun flavors, and Buffalo Wild Wings has a powdered condiment combining ranch seasoning and popping candy.
Robeks has new smoothies fortified with collagen.
In desserts, Domino’s has a new lava cake, and Voodoo Doughnut has doughnut sticks suitable for dipping.
Moe's Southwest Grill has a new brisket option, and Velvet Taco’s Weekly Taco Feature is made with barbecue chicken.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]
Follow him on TikTok and Instagram: @foodwriterdiary
About the Author
Bret Thorn
Senior Food Editor, Nation's Restaurant News
Senior Food & Beverage Editor
Bret Thorn is senior food & beverage editor of Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality.
Hi is responsible for spotting and reporting on F&B trends across the country for both publications.
He is the co-host of a podcast, Menu Talk with Pat and Bret, which features interviews with chefs, food & beverage authorities, and other experts in foodservice operations.
From 2005 to 2008 he also wrote the Kitchen Dish column for The New York Sun, covering restaurant openings and chefs’ career moves in New York City.
He joined Nation’s Restaurant News in 1999 after spending about five years in Thailand, where he wrote articles about business, banking and finance as well as restaurant reviews and food columns for Manager magazine and Asia Times newspaper. He joined Restaurant Hospitality’s staff in 2016 while retaining his position at NRN.
A magna cum laude graduate of Tufts University in Medford, Mass., with a bachelor’s degree in history, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Thorn also studied traditional French cooking at Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine in Paris. He spent his junior year of college in China, studying Chinese language, history and culture for a semester each at Nanjing University and Beijing University. While in Beijing, he also worked for ABC News during the protests and ultimate crackdown in and around Tiananmen Square in 1989.
Thorn’s monthly column in Nation’s Restaurant News won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for best staff-written editorial or opinion column.
He served as president of the International Foodservice Editorial Council, or IFEC, in 2005.
Thorn wrote the entry on comfort food in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, 2nd edition, published in 2012. He also wrote a history of plated desserts for the Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, published in 2015.
He was inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014.
A Colorado native originally from Denver, Thorn lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Bret Thorn’s areas of expertise include food and beverage trends in restaurants, French cuisine, the cuisines of Asia in general and Thailand in particular, restaurant operations and service trends.
Bret Thorn’s Experience:
Nation’s Restaurant News, food & beverage editor, 1999-Present
New York Sun, columnist, 2005-2008
Asia Times, sub editor, 1995-1997
Manager magazine, senior editor and restaurant critic, 1992-1997
ABC News, runner, May-July, 1989
Education:
Tufts University, BA in history, 1990
Peking University, studied Chinese language, spring, 1989
Nanjing University, studied Chinese language and culture, fall, 1988
Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine, Cértificat Elémentaire, 1986
Email: [email protected]
Social Media:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bret-thorn-468b663/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bret.thorn.52
Twitter: @foodwriterdiary
Instagram: @foodwriterdiary
TikTok: @foodwriterdiary
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