Taste Tracker: Wahlburgers, Taco Bell, White Castle, Rubio’s, Baskin-Robbins, Church’s, &pizza, Fogo de Chao, Togo’s and more headline restaurant menu trends.

Menu developers don’t seem to be in summer vacation mode. New items and limited-time offers keep rolling out at chain restaurants, with early July seeing another bump in menu activity. Here’s a look at recent food and drink launches. Hint: Pineapple is big.

The new Crispy Chicken Slider debuted at White Castle, which the fast-food chain claims to be bigger and crispier. It’s made with white meat chicken coated in a buttermilk breading and drizzled with new honeycomb mustard sauce, all layered between two soft slider buns. For 20 cents more, customers can order a Deluxe Crispy Chicken Slider topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomato and the same mustard sauce.

Taco Bell fans in Detroit can be first to try the chain’s new Steak & Cheese Tacodilla. The taco-quesadilla mashup is made with an extra-long yellow corn and flour shell filled with grilled steak, melted cheese and red chile sauce, then grilled for a crisp, golden finish. Price ranges from $4.99-$6.99 depending on location.

An island-inspired menu launched at Rubio’s, highlighting three summery items. The Island Vibe Original Fish Taco fills a warm tortilla with Alaska pollock topped with cabbage, Tajín, pineapple salsa, wasabi lime crema and a soy drizzle, while the Island Vibe Burrito & Bowl features grilled chicken, steak or seafood with citrus rice, guacamole, cabbage, pineapple salsa, wasabi crema and a soy drizzle. For dessert, there’s a Piña Colada Churro.

Pineapple also shows up in the limited-time Teriyaki Pineapple Smashburger at Wahlburgers. It’s a build of two Certified Angus Beef patties, white cheddar cheese, sliced pineapple, lettuce, teriyaki sauce and mayo. Guests can pair the burger with a WahlStreet Spritz, a mix of Aperol, prosecco, strawberry syrup and pineapple juice. There’s also a new Strawberry Shortcake Shake topped with a Twinkie; it can be ordered as is or spiked with vanilla vodka.

Pineapple seems to be the “it” fruit of summer. Piña Colada Knots just debuted at &pizza, fashioned from the chain’s pizza dough, packed with pineapple and finished with a coconut drizzle and toasted coconut flakes. The bite-sized baked knots are on the menu for $6 for a limited time.

And Pineapple Matcha joins the beverage lineup at Broken Yolk Café. The blend of iced matcha, coconut milk and pineapple juice makes a refreshing accompaniment to the Pastrami Burger, a half-pound Angus beef burger topped with chopped pastrami, Swiss cheese, dill pickles, and Thousand Island dressing on a pretzel bun. For those who prefer to start the day with something sweet, there’s Strawberry Cheesecake Stuffed French Toast, and to sip on the side, a Red Bull Mangonada made with mango juice and Red Bull yellow edition, rimmed with Chamoy and Tajín and finished with a pineapple slice.

Pastrami is also making news at Togo’s with the return of the Pretzelrami. Made to order, the sandwich is stacked with four ounces of pastrami, melted provolone cheese, yellow mustard and dill pickles on a soft pretzel roll. The upgraded roll is 25% larger than the one used previously on the signature sandwich.

The Fresh Tomato Pie returns to Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana for the summer. The New Haven-style pizza has a signature crispy, chewy and slightly charred crust topped with fresh tomatoes, sliced mozzarella, garlic, basil, grated Pecorino Romano cheese and a touch of the brand’s olive oil blend.

Texas-Style Rubbed Smokehouse Chicken is back at Church’s Texas Chicken through Sept. 24. The Smokehouse recipe, first introduced in 2017, features a half chicken that’s marinated for 12 hours and coated with a proprietary rub. The bone-in pieces are then fried and paired with a Honey-Butter Biscuit and jalapeño for $5.99. Combo meals are available for $9.99.

Charley's Cheesesteaks has introduced Nashville hot sauce as an option for its wings and cheesesteak. The LTO sandwich features grilled white meat chicken seasoned with Nashville hot sauce and layered with melted American cheese, ranch dressing, lettuce, tomato and pickles on a toasted roll.

Steak is the newest protein added to the menu at Protein Bar & Kitchen, available in salads, wraps, burritos and a breakfast bowl. Cool Ranch Steak features seared steak, hard-cooked eggs, romaine, arugula, cucumber, grape tomatoes, quinoa, crispy chickpeas and ranch dressing, while Steak & Seoul is a Korean-flavored bowl or burrito with steak, Bitchin’ Sauce, kimchi, pickled red onion, rainbow carrots, baby spinach, brown rice and green onions. Each goes for $13.99. Steak & Eggs, ordered as a breakfast bowl or burrito, is a combo of scrambled eggs, steak, avocado, black beans, salsa roja and parsley.

Sydney Sweeney teamed up with Baskin-Robbins on a limited-time Sweet on Sydney menu featuring the celeb’s favorite order. Sydney’s Signature Scoop is rainbow sherbet topped with gummy bears in a chocolate-dipped waffle cone with sprinkles. The menu also includes a new drink—Sydney’s Signature Fizz—which blends rainbow sherbet with Starry lemon-lime soda topped with gummy bear minis.

A summer tradition, the Graham Cracker S’Mores Pizookie, is back at BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse. The campfire-inspired dessert is layered with Ghirardelli chocolate, toasted marshmallows and graham cracker crumbles, then topped with two scoops of vanilla bean ice cream. It’s the finale to a summer lineup which includes an All-American Burger and three beverages: BJ’s Sweet Sin Chocolate Porter, BJ’s Hard Root Beer and BJ’s Co-Hoperate Hazy Pils.

Fogo de Chao is also spotlighting a beverage with the limited-time Hot Brazilian. The sweet-citrusy-spicy cocktail blends tequila, Tempus Fugit liqueur, fresh lime juice and a splash of mango habanero; it’s finished with a black lava salt rim and mint garnish.

Several new flavors and frosty treats are on hand at Andy’s Frozen Custard, starting with the Lemon Bar Concrete and Shake, a mix of vanilla frozen custard with pieces of lemon bar cookies. The Blackberry Waffle-Jack Jackhammer celebrates the season’s best berries by combining them with pieces of waffle cone for a contrast in textures. There’s also a Blackberry Concrete, Strawberry Shortcake Sundae, and Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip, available by the pint.

Source: Patricia Cobe, Restaurant Business