Food Chains That Made Huge Menu Changes In 2025

While most restaurant chains have classic items that would likely never get removed, menus are rarely static. Items come and go in a competition for consumers' taste, and in 2025, it feels like restaurants have changed their menus more than ever. With a shaky economic climate and increasingly value-minded customers, restaurant chains have to adjust their menus accordingly and be ruthless about what is and isn't working. 

Therefore, the year has seen countless chains go through pretty major revamps of their menus. In some situations, restaurants like Starbucks have chopped a huge number of items on offer, in a bid to better mirror what its customers are actually ordering. Elsewhere, chains like IHOP and McDonald's have introduced value offers that try to entice diners through their doors with the promise of a lighter bill. Which restaurant has made the biggest menu change, though? It's time to find out.

Although Chick-fil-A has struggled to expand overseas, it has had an exceptional domestic run over the last few years, with customer loyalty at an all-time high and competitors trying to emulate its huge success. Although you might expect that it wins its crown by sticking to what it knows, it's actually not afraid to mix things up regularly, and in 2025, it seriously reinvigorated its menu. In March, it brought back its Smokehouse BBQ Bacon Sandwich, a fan favorite that brought smiles to a lot of people's faces. It also added a trendy range of pineapple passionfruit beverages, including a frosted lemonade and an iced tea.

It didn't stop there. August saw the national launch of the Pretzel Cheddar Club Sandwich, after a successful test run of the menu item in North Carolina. Additionally, its Cherry Berry beverages made a reappearance for the second year running. The chain also put two different potato chip flavors on its menu, cut to resemble its famous waffle fries. This is a brand that's refusing to rest on its laurels.

McDonald's may feel like one of those restaurants where nothing changes, with its decades-long staples and timeless, irresistible fries. However, head office bigwigs are constantly thinking about what's working and what isn't, and big change came in 2025 with the new McValue platform. Debuting at the start of the year, it allowed customers access to a wide range of new ordering choices, including the option to add items to their meal for a dollar after purchasing certain sandwiches or other foods, and a $5 meal deal that promised true value.

There's been some housekeeping, too. In July, McDonald's phased out Krispy Kreme doughnuts, brought back its popular Snack Wraps, and, later in the summer, introduced a new range of beverages, including the Strawberry Watermelon Refresher and the Creamy Vanilla Cold Brew.

Fast food chains frequently shake up their menus by introducing new dishes, but it's a lot rarer for them to debut brand new ordering styles. Well, in 2025, Chipotle decided that it was time to refresh things in a big way. The fast casual chain kicked off its "Build-Your-Own Chipotle" concept in August 2025, framing it as an entirely new way for smaller groups to order and dine. Instead of ordering separate dishes for themselves, groups or families could pick a selection of sharing foods and create their burritos or nachos in the comfort of their own home. Chipotle framed this as a value-conscious service that allows people to order fresh, convenient, and personalized meals.

Additionally, the chain brought back one of its fan favorites. Chipotle Carne Asada, which was its most-searched option back on Google in 2024, came back to its menu for the fourth time. Chipotle did this in early September to coincide with football season, and while it's only available for a limited time, it was clearly designed to make a big publicity splash.

A heritage brand like Wendy's can't afford to stop moving. If it does, it'll quickly start to feel retro and outdated and lose any chance of gaining new customers. In 2025, the chain addressed this with some big menu changes, adding and axing items to keep things spicy. Perhaps its biggest move was to debut a brand new dish, the Cajun Crunch Chicken Sandwich, which crammed its classic chicken sandwich with pepper jack cheese and crispy onions. It also added a new Tangerine Twist Lemonade to the bill, and at the same time removed its Thin Mints Frosty options, former fan favorites that clearly outstayed their welcome.

Wendy's also made a recipe change to its chicken sandwiches, subbing out its classic chicken breasts for ground chicken patties that have a notably softer and smoother texture. Then, in May, it released its Frosty Fusions, an upgrade of its Frosty desserts with extra sauce and mix-ins added into each cup for a more dynamic dessert experience. It's been a busy old time for the chain — let's see if it pans out for them.

Value follows flavor as the most important thing a chain can offer its customers, and in September, IHOP took action by implementing its first-ever Everyday Value Menu. For either $6 or $7, customers can now choose from four meals, including a ham and cheese omelette, a house scramble, and a breakfast faves combo. There's no need to clock watch, as these meals are available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

IHOP seemed to pull this move in a bid to attract customers back through its doors after its year-on-year sales declined by over 2%. Time will tell whether it's a success, but we think it's a positive step.

Pizza Hut's not been having the easiest run of it lately. In the second quarter of 2025, it reported that its sales were down by a massive 6%, while its same-store sales had shrunk by 5% since the previous year. That's not great news for a restaurant that used to be America's go-to pizza place. While there are likely several reasons for this shrinking in sales, a large part of it is probably because Pizza Hut has never been the cheapest place to eat, and buying personal options there can often be a little trickier — you usually have to go for a big old pie, thereby spending more money.

In 2025, Pizza Hut debuted the Crafted Flatzz, a range of flatbread pizzas that are intended specifically for solo diners. This limited-edition pizza allows diners to pay just $5 for a personal pizza if ordered before 5 p.m., and folks can choose from flavors like Pepperoni Duo, Nashville Hot Chicken, and Three Cheese. In addition, Pizza Hut also introduced the Hut Lover's Pizzas, a collection of four large, generously-topped pizzas for just $12.99 each. 

There's a common perception in fast food and fast-casual dining that bigger is always better, but that's not always the case — especially when it comes to menu sizes. Sometimes, the smart thing to do is take away choice for your customers, not only to make their experience better but also to streamline operations and therefore provide better service. Starbucks pulled this very move in 2025 when it conducted a serious slimming-down of its menu, removing a host of drinks from rotation. In total, 13 drinks were to be phased out of Starbucks stores around the country, including its White Hot Chocolate, Espresso Frappuccino, and Royal English Breakfast Latte.

Starbucks acknowledged that these drinks (which made up about 30% of its menu items) just weren't that popular with customers, or else were just too similar to items that were selling better. It wasn't all reduction, though. The Seattle chain added new dishes and drinks in the Spring, including Iced Cherry Chai and a Jalapeño Chicken Pocket. Later, in September, Starbucks announced that it was planning a rollout of new high-protein and gluten-free dishes over the following months.

Domino's has been known to offer 50% off everything on its menu. However, in 2025, it announced a significant menu change throughout the summer, adding its "Best Deal Ever" offer to its rotation once more. The boastfully-named deal allowed customers to choose any size pizza in any style for just $9.99. It may have been a little bit of a brag from Domino's, but we have to be honest: That's a good saving.

Domino's pulled this move in light of its declining sales, which have coincided (or, more accurately, gone hand-in-hand) with spiralling fast food prices. Domino's kept its menu moving in other ways throughout the year, too. Alongside the reintroduction of its "Best Deal Ever" offer, it also added three "secret menu pizzas," which weren't officially available to order but which gave customers a steer about how to build them themselves. In September, it added two new flavors to its Bread Bite range.

It's fair to say that Olive Garden feels a little bit old-school now and again, and we really do get why: This restaurant knows what it does well, and sticks to it. However, that old-school nature may not be the best thing for business in a modern landscape that prizes value for money and nutritious offerings over dishes that are both expensive and huge. This chain isn't America's favorite anymore, and it really shows. 

So, it was refreshing to see Olive Garden act to regain consumer trust in 2025. It did so with its "Lighter Portion Entrées" option, which the restaurant tested out at 40% of its locations in September. Customers were given the option of choosing a more moderate portion of seven of its classic entrées, and paying between $12.99 and $13.99 for each meal. Customers have responded positively to this new menu choice, and it could signal a new, permanent move for Olive Garden.

Elsewhere, the chain went hard on offering value with the reintroduction of its Never Ending Pasta Bowl. This famous promotion, which Olive Garden has referred to as its customers' favorite offer ever, was finally brought back at the end of August. Available through to mid-November, it allows people to eat as much pasta, breadsticks, soup, or salad as they want for just $13.99. It's a pretty impressive deal.

In 2025, fast food stalwart Burger King revitalized its menu with a few new flagship options. Its biggest move was to launch its "Whopper by You" platform, which gave customers the ability to submit new ideas for its best-selling item straight to the restaurant. It did so in July with the simultaneous release of its BBQ Brisket Whopper, the first sandwich from the platform, which combined its famous patty with slow-cooked brisket and crispy onions.

Burger King didn't flag on its momentum, either: In August, it brought out its second new Whopper, a Crispy Onion Whopper that added in both crispy onions and onion rings. Over the summer, it also released four new iced coffee cold foam beverages and two new lemonades.