Café Rio debuts LTO Utah Burrito as turnaround continues

July 30, 2026

Café Rio has introduced the limited-time Utah Burrito as part of its broader turnaround effort. The state-inspired menu item debuted July 24, Utah's Pioneer…

HTeaO reports Q2 growth with 10 openings, LTO launches, community initiatives

July 27, 2026

Fort Worth, Texas-based HTeaO closed out the second quarter of 2026 with 10 store openings, limited-time beverage launches and ongoing community support…

Insomnia Cookies serving 10M scoops as it launches National Ice Cream Day offer

July 22, 2026

Photo courtesy of Insomnia Cookies Insomnia Cookies served approximately 10 million scoops of ice cream across its network in 2025. Now, the…

Fuzzy’s Taco Shop launches summer menu, rewards offers

July 17, 2026

Fuzzy's Taco Shop has launched its Fuzzy's Beach Club summer campaign, featuring limited-time menu items, rewards offers, branded merchandise and a National…

Nick the Greek surpasses 100 restaurants, reports double-digit sales growth in first half of 2026

July 16, 2026

Nick the Greek surpassed 100 restaurants during the first half of 2026, fueled by eight openings, 18.2% year-over-year same-store sales growth and a 14.8…

Smashburger simplifies summer LTO lineup to improve operations

July 8, 2026

Smashburger is taking a more focused approach to limited-time offerings this summer, introducing two burgers and two shakes as part of a broader strategy to…

Chicken chains rule the roost with summer LTOs

July 2, 2026

Big Dave's Cheesesteaks, Houston TX Hot Chicken, Huey Magoo's and Wingstop are leaning into menu trends, including value meals and sweet and hot flavors.

Chicken Salad Chick creates 'National Chicken Salad Day'

by Amy Sorter — Writer and Editor, Connect Media

July 2, 2026

Chicken Salad Chick has deemed July 16, "National Chicken Salad Day," and will mark it with free scoops and giveaways.

Tocaya unveils summer happy hour menu

July 1, 2026

Fast-casual Mexican restaurant chain Tocaya has introduced a summer happy hour menu featuring drink specials, small bites and tortas. The menu is available for…

Portillo's, Vienna Beef launch hot dog for America's 250th birthday

June 30, 2026

Portillo's has partnered with longtime supplier Vienna Beef to launch the Char'diniera Dog to celebrate America's 250th birthday. The hot dog will be available…

Einstein Bros bakes up growth with 300-plus U.S. locations planned by 2030

by Amy Sorter — Writer and Editor, Connect Media

Leslie Haver, senior director, design, said the prototype will be slightly larger in most locations to support in-store dining and offer a better customer…

Blaze Pizza expands nationwide menu with refreshed salad lineup

June 25, 2026

Blaze Pizza is expanding its menu this week with a refreshed salad lineup at participating locations nationwide, featuring three new premium entrée salads and…

Freddy's joins premium beverage trend with new drink lineup

June 25, 2026

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers has launched Freddy's Bevies, a beverage lineup featuring custard cream sodas, flavored teas and lemonades. The…

Jimmy John's partners with rapper Fetty Wap on LTO

June 24, 2026

Fetty Wap, Courtesy of Jimmy John's Champaign, Illinois-headquartered Jimmy John's has partnered with rapper Fetty Wap to launch the limited-time…

JINYA Holdings launches Japanese bakery concept in Southern California

June 19, 2026

JINYA Holdings is expanding beyond ramen and robata with the launch of Mikan bakery & more, a Japanese-style bakery and beverage concept scheduled to…

Lost Borough Ice Cream to open 2nd New York shop in Inwood

June 18, 2026

Lost Borough Ice Cream will open its second location in New York on July 7 at 4791 Bradway, in Manhattan's Inwood neighborhood.

Starbucks debuts Blue Coconut beverages tied to Water.org donation campaign

June 17, 2026

Seattle-based Starbucks has introduced two summer beverages: the Blue Coconut Refresher and Iced Blue Coconut Matcha. Connected with the cold drinks are a…

GOOOOOOOALLLLLLL: Fast casual restaurants capitalizing on World Cup fever

by Amy Sorter — Writer and Editor, Connect Media

Along with national pride and fan excitement, this year's FIFA World Cup provides restaurants with an opportunity to increase their customer base. Experts tell…

Tropical Smoothie Café unveils limited-time Moana-inspired beverage

June 12, 2026

Tropical Smoothie Café has introduced the How Far You'll Go Mango Smoothie, a limited-time beverage available at participating locations nationwide through…

The return of the Unicorn Frappuccino: Can Starbucks avoid the headaches this time around?

by Amy Sorter — Writer and Editor, Connect Media

When Starbucks created the drink nearly nine years ago, it generated significant consumer interest, leading to thousands of social media posts but also…