It’s been another busy one here at Fast Food Week. All categories represented, and some truly re-markable stuff to report. Like the first ever purple OREO cookie wafer. Candy-favoured baked beans. And the arrival of ‘cocoa-free chocolate’ as a real, standalone product…
The rundown…
Of special note… Wonka brand chocolate confections will be back on the market this fall – for a limited time. And the next generation takes over at Mrs. Fields’ Cookies…
MAINS
Jersey Mike’s brings back Chicken Salad
You loved it. And the summer classic is back chain-wide, for a limited time. JM’s makes it chicken salad fresh in-store every day. It’s a traditional mix of chunky roasted chicken breast with mayo, diced celery, and a pinch of black pepper. And it’s available in a sub, wrap, or bowl.
KFC issues $5 Variety Box
It’s a great deal by any reckoning: two pieces of original Fried Chicken (leg and thigh), 5 nuggets, one dipping sauce and a medium Fountain drink. The catch is, it’s only available to Rewards members, through the app. Eligible members can purchase up to 4 $5 Variety Boxes, for a limited time.
Burger King colours kids’ worlds
Burger King is offering a Crayola-themed ‘King Jr. Meal’ starting June 9. The special Crown Nugget-based pack comes with 4 Crayola crayons…
… a ‘customizable’ BK crown, and a colourable meal bag. Available at participating BK locations, while supplies last.
SIDES
Burger King reprises Crown Nuggets
They haven’t surfaced since 2011… But they’re back as a component of a $3.99 ‘King Jr.’ kids Meal starting June 2. They’re also available à la carte in an 8-piece order. While supplies last, on into the summer…
Bush’s breaks out flavoured Beans
The folks with the ‘beautiful beans’ are pushing their envelope with three new flavoured offerings: Dill Pickle, Apple Pie, and (as improbable as it sounds) Rocket Pop.
Bush’s Apple Pie and Dill Pickle Summer Limited Edition flavors are available at Walmart stores nationwide, while Rocket Pop will be available soon at Walmart online.
BEVERAGES
Starbucks unveils Summer 2026 Menu
Starbucks welcomes summer with a slate of new refreshers and coffee drinks. The refreshers include: the new Tropical Butterfly Refresher; and the new Butterfly Drink. Both are described as ‘visual’ bevs, blending various colourful fruity bases and syrups.
The returning Coffees include: Iced Horchata Shaken Espresso; and the new Horchata Frappuccino. The new Summer Menu may seem modest compared to its predecessors. But that’s all in line with the turnaround CEO’s mandate to streamline, simplify and cut costs.
DESSERTS & SNACKS
SALTY
Doritos unveils Garlic Parm for summer
The iconic corn chip brand is adding yet another flavour for summer: Garlic Parmesan. It’s described as, described as having ‘a blast of delicious garlic and parm flavor’.
Sounds like a perfect partner for anything you decide to cook on the grill… The new chip is already showing up at the usual major retailers, including: Target, Kroger, and Walmart.
SWEET
OREO goes Pop with BTS collab
The cookie that can’t stop bringing out new versions is doing it again – in a collab with the Korean pop group BTS. “For OREO to be the first snacking brand we’ve collaborated with globally is a huge honour. We ate them as kids, we eat them in the studio, and now OREO is helping us share a taste of home with the world,” said BTS, in a statement. The new cookie is inspired by the Korean street food staple Hotteok, a brown sugar-filled pancake…
Mrs. Fields Daughter goes functional
Which is to say, the second-generation cookie maven is launching a new line of ‘functional’ (‘good for you’) cookies with three targeted flavours: Mocha Dark Chocolate (for mental focus), Peanut Butter Protein, and Oatmeal Raisin Sleep. Ashley Fields says she wanted the functional ingredients to disap-pear into the cookie instead of overpowering the experience… Fields Good cookies are, apparently, meant to ‘blur the line between nostalgic comfort food and functional wellness’.
Krispy Kreme x Master Of The Universe = 3 new doughnuts
KK has partnered with the Masters Of The Universe franchise with a collection featuring 3 all-new doughnuts: the He-Man Caramel Crunch; the Skeletor Double Chocolate; and the Cringer Claw Cookie Dough.
The Masters Of The Universe Collection dozen box includes three each of the new sinkers plus 3 Original Glazed.
Skittles doubles up on fruity flavours
The iconic candy has been around pretty much since American candy as we know it began. And it hasn’t changed a whole lot in all that time. But this year, Skittles is upping its game with 6 new duo-fruit flavours: Strawberry & Watermelon, Lemon & Raspberry, Pomegranate & Apple, Lime & Cherry and Mandarin & Pineapple.
“Skittles Flavour Flip satisfies a growing desire for multi-sensorial ex-periences—mood boosting and uplifting moments which promise flavour experimentation,” said Emily Owen, Senior Brand Manager at Mars Wrigley.
NOVELTIES
Ferrero to revive iconic Wonka brand
It’s a literary legend: Willy Wonka brand chocolate confections. This fall, for a limited time, it will become real – thanks to an America250 promotion from Ferrero chocolate. Ferrero will produce 10 seasonal Wonka-themed products, spanning categories including chocolate, cereal and ice cream. Nestlé bought the Wonka brand some time ago and didn’t do much with it. Ferrero acquired it from Nestlé in 2018…
Cargill to bring ‘cocoa-free chocolate’ to market
It’s a real thing. And it’s entirely out in the open, not blended with real chocolate and hidden in the fine print. Food Giant Cargill is floating non-cocoa chocolate as a ‘future proof’ chocolate alternative.
Called NextCoa, the product is touted as fulfilling all the missions conventional chocolate takes on, while ensuring price and supply stability. But I wonder… What does it taste like?
EVENTS
New report says salty snacks fuel Brain Fog
It’s not what’s in them, per se. But what’s been processed out of them. Nutritionists now say salty snacks rob your brain of essential nutrients impairing your ability to think straight and pay attention, as well as increasing your risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
“We live in a society where we’re constantly distracted and bombarded by various things, whether it’s social media, our devices, entertainment, or a myriad of other things that seek to claim our attent-ion,” Vanderbilt University Medical Center neurologist Dr Lealani Mae Acosta says. Consuming salty snacks on top of that can cause serious cognitive impairment.
And that’s the skinny…
On what may make some of us a little ‘foggier’ over the coming days and weeks. Tune in again in 7 for the next sunscreen-appropriate edition of fast Food Week!
~ Maggie J.