Top Menu Innovations News

Just in time for the Italian wine harvest season, Carrabba's Italian Grill is highlighting the rich flavors of a traditional Italian cooking technique: wine-infusion.  The new Vino Italiano menu is a collection of innovative dishes cooked with wine to enhance and accent their flavors. Carrabba's menu has a variety of new dishes and several wine-inspired […]

While Luby's, operator of Cheeseburger in Paradise, Luby's Cafeteria, and Fuddruckers, has built a national reputation and multi-generational following for its delectable, home-style cafeteria fare, the nearly 70-year-old chain marks a morning milestone this month.   The Texas-born brand with 95 locations throughout the Lone Star State as well as Oklahoma and Arkansas has begun rolling […]

The menu at Chili's Grill & Bar just got some serious star power.  On Friday, Oct. 3, Chili's was featured in the premiere episode of Turner Network Television's (TNT) "On The Menu," starring famed Chef Emeril Lagasse and Ty Pennington as host of the show. In the cooking competition, everyday cooks are given the chance […]

CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries, Inc., announced that the company will evolve its historic craft brewery and restaurant brands with the addition of Stan Frankenthaler, who joins the team as chief officer of food, beverage, and strategic supply.  Frankenthaler will lead the brand's culinary reinvention efforts and oversee food and beverage initiatives for all of the […]

At New York City’s The LCL: Bar & Kitchen, customers are sipping their vegetables in a martini glass. The full-service restaurant serves several cocktails including its popular juice-inspired one, Seeing Red, made with rye whiskey, ginger, lemon, and an organic juice blend of beets, carrots, and pears. Scott Gerber, CEO of the Gerber Group, which […]

Benihana Inc. has announced its latest featured menu item, USDA Prime Sirloin Steak, which will be available exclusively at Benihana restaurants beginning this October.   Benihana's USDA Prime Sirloin Steak features a 6.5-ounce, top sirloin cut seared to each guest's preference, then sliced and served with sautéed mushrooms in rich garlic butter for $24.99. This […]

First Watch today unveiled its limited-time fall menu.  The daytime café’s seasonal dishes, like the favorite Pumpkin Pancake Breakfast and the new Harvest Hash, incorporate ingredients like natural pumpkin purée and real sweet potatoes while eschewing synthetic flavors. First Watch’s 2014 fall menu brings back a few dishes by popular demand and takes a contemporary […]

About a year ago, a team from Maggiano's Little Italy sat down with focus groups in Atlanta and Chicago and asked them a simple question: What do you think about when you think of healthy Italian food? "They typically laughed or said it's an oxymoron, that it's impossible," says Michael Breed, senior director of marketing […]

TGI Fridays kicked up the heat today on its popular Endless Appetizer promotion with the introduction of two new endless apps: Sriracha Chicken Potato Skins and Spicy Chicken Tostadas.   Both new appetizers, plus Fridays' Ahi Tuna Crisps, will be added to the brand's popular Endless Appetizers promotion. Endless Appetizers offers continuous servings of the restaurant's most […]

Consumers say that many chains are missing the mark when offering healthy options on their menus, as revealed in a recent white paper using data from Technomic's Consumer Brand Metrics program. The white paper, titled "Better-for-You Chains: Consumer Ratings of Restaurants' Healthy Offerings," shows a majority of consumers say it's important for restaurants—even quick-service concepts—to ensure […]

"Plunge to your liking." It's not the typical verbal directions guests receive when ordering a cocktail, but these guidelines indicate Hard Rock Cafe isn't innovating its beverage program in a typical way. The global full serve debuted a beverage this summer that hinges on the use of a French press—typically reserved for coffee—to create a […]

This fall, Joe's Crab Shack offers up a new set of featured menu items, including Southern Fried Maine Lobster and Loaded Crab Fries, providing guests with a more relaxed approach to seafood.  No utensils are necessary for these hands-on dishes, available now through mid-November at Joe's Crab Shack restaurant locations. The new Southern Fried Maine […]

Logan's Roadhouse recently announced its Everlasting Summer promotion and exclusive partnership with Kenny Chesney and his Blue Chair Bay Rum. "We greatly appreciate the opportunity to be the first national restaurant chain to feature Kenny's Blue Chair Bay Rum," says Bob Kim, Logan's Roadhouse vice president of marketing. "Kenny and our team at Logan's don't […]

This fall, the South is in the house at Red Robin with a new milkshake and burger.  Beginning now through Nov. 2, guests 21 and over can enjoy the new Beam-N-Bacon Boozy Shake made with Jim Beam Maple Bourbon, caramel, and vanilla soft serve blended to perfection and topped with bacon bits and a strip […]

Denny's today announced long-awaited plans to open its first-ever Manhattan location on Friday, Aug. 29, at 5 a.m.  Located at 150 Nassau St. at the gateway to New York's Financial District, the new location incorporates locally-inspired, historical design elements with the classic, American diner atmosphere guests have come to expect from Denny's.  The diner promises […]

After last year’s incredibly positive response to the Pizzaburger’s debut, Boston’s Restaurant & Sports Bar is giving its guests something new to crave.  The national dining chain’s original Pizzaburger was duplicated over and over again after its introduction last fall, and this year, the company is unveiling its newest addition, the Pizzaburger Sliders, which will […]

Known for its classic American cuisine infused with bold flavors, fresh herbs and spices, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill launches its new Bar Bites menu. Guests can now enjoy a selection of small plates including Tenderloin Sliders, Pretzel Bites and Samuel Adams Beer Cheese, Crispy Hand Spun Chicken Tenders, Ahi Tuna Tar-Tar, Cajun BBQ Shrimp and […]

The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc. announced the Sassy Senorita cocktail featuring Avión Silver Tequila as the winner of its recent Top Cocktail competition, which invited guests to vote for their favorite limited-time cocktail for a chance to win a $250 Melting Pot gift card and other prizes. “Our unique Top Cocktail beverage program took guest […]

Chris Elliott wasted little time in analyzing the market when he stepped in as CEO of Beef 'O' Brady's in March of 2010. He visited multiple locations, ate the food, surveyed the market, and came to a swift conclusion: Pizza would be a natural fit for the brand. A look at competitors, who Elliott says […]

Coco’s Bakery Restaurants, Inc., a family dining restaurant with more than 100 locations on the West Coast, announced the brand has completed the redesign and rollout of its new Core Menu, which has a host of fresh new ingredients and never-frozen steaks. “Consumers, including our regular customers, are becoming more health conscious and seeking out […]