Chains Add Snacks, Drinks To Menus

Several quick-service chains added new snacks and beverages to their menus this week.

Frozen yogurt chain Red Mango launched a line of hot chocolate drinks as a limited-time offer for December.

The 140-unit Dallas-based chain is using non-fat milk in its Artisan Hot Chocolate, which is available in four flavors: Double Chocolate, Raspberry Chocolate Truffle, Irish Chocolate Crème and Chocolate Amaretto.

The move continues a diversification process that Red Mango began last year, when it changed its name to Red Mango Yogurt & Smoothies and introduced a line of iced tea drinks and smoothies.

Dunkin' Brands also introduced seasonal limited-time offers at its Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins brands.

Baskin-Robbins is reprising its Bobsled Brownie flavor, inspired by the U.S. women's bobsled team's victory at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.

The flavor is a combination of butter caramel ice cream with chocolate chip blondie pieces mixed in, and chocolate mousse ice cream with a fudge crackle ribbon.

Dunkin' Donuts is offering a Sprinkle the Cheer Donut — a yeast ring doughnut with red icing and holly berry sprinkles — and a Holiday Star Donut, which is a custard-filled star-shaped doughnut topped with vanilla glaze and sprinkled with silver nonpareils.

The 9,700-unit coffee-and-doughnut chain also has added a grilled cheese sandwich to its line of savory foods. The Texas Toast Grilled Cheese Sandwich is made with two slices of American cheese and a slice of white Cheddar cheese melted between two thick-cut slices of toast. Bacon or ham can be added upon request.

"Texas Toast has been extremely popular with our guests ever since we introduced it in our restaurants earlier this year," Dunkin' Brands executive chef Stan Frankenthaler said in a press release.

Texas Toast also is in Dunkin' Donuts Big & Toasty, a sandwich containing two fried eggs, four slices of cherry wood smoked bacon and American cheese.

Contact Bret Thorn at bret.thorn@penton.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @foodwriterdiary