Quick-service Mexican restaurant Qdoba introduced brisket birria, which is slow cooked for 10 hours in chiles and garlic. Consumers can create their own combination with the birria or can choose from the quesabirria quesadilla or the quesabirria burrito.

“My travels across Mexico inspired me to create the flavorful and tender brisket birria dish and bring the authentic and delicious flavors of Mexican street food to our restaurants,” said Katy Velazquez, executive chef at Qdoba. “Unique to the industry, pairing our flavor-forward brisket birria with all of the cheesy goodness of our Signature 3-cheese queso will satisfy anyone’s birria craving.”

Noodles & Company launched its newest menu option in collaboration with alternative protein company Impossible Foods. The plant-based panko chicken is now an option featured in two dishes: Impossible Orange Chicken Lo Mein and Leanguini Rosa with Impossible Chicken.

The Impossible Orange Chicken Lo Mein features Asian-style noodles in an orange sauce with snap peas, napa and red cabbage, topped with panko-breaded Impossible Chicken, green onions, black sesame seeds and cilantro.

The Leanguini Rosa with Impossible Chicken features the Leanguini noodles topped with a spicy tomato cream sauce, mushrooms, Roma tomatoes and spinach, as well as panko-breaded Impossible Chicken and Parmesan cheese.

Firehouse Subs is adding a prime rib steak sub to its menus for a limited time. The sub features a seared prime rib steak that has been cooked for 12 hours, as well as caramelized onions, melted provolone, lettuce, tomato, deli mustard and a garlic mayonnaise, all on a toasted sub roll.

Taco Del Mar introduced its take on tater tot nachos, or “Totchos,” featuring a Pacific Northwest flavor.

The Totchos are made with Tajín Clásico-seasoned tater tots, topped with queso, black beans, a consumer’s choice of protein, as well as pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, jalapeños and roasted chipotle salsa.

“We are always looking for ways our restaurant can keep guests warm in the cooler months and our take on Totchos is the perfect blend of party food and comfort that will add an extra burst of flavor to our menu,” said Mike Gieseman, vice president of culinary innovation. “Pair our Tajín seasoned tots with a favorite entrée or enjoy our version of the Totchos as a main course this season.” 

Sonic Drive-In expanded its menu with the steak butter bacon cheeseburger. The new burger features a beef patty that has been coated in a savory steakhouse-seasoning-infused butter, topped with two slices of American cheese, bacon, grilled onions and mayonnaise, all served on a bakery bun.

Arby’s brought back its Canadian-inspired poutine dip sandwich. All piled on a toasted sub roll, the sandwich features roast beef slices, the company’s signature curly fries, cheese curds and a drizzle of gravy.

Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers released its holiday menu, featuring two new items. The french onion steakburger is cooked to order with two patties, topped with Swiss cheese, grilled and crispy onions, bacon and french onion sauce. The other holiday item is the Oreo cookie peppermint shake. The shake is blended with chocolate and vanilla frozen custard, peppermint syrup, crushed Oreo cookies and peppermint candy pieces.

TacoTime added the tostada wrap, which features refried pinto beans, cheese sauce, seasoned beef, crispy tostada, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa and sour cream, all wrapped in a flour tortilla.

Sandwich chain Quiznos brought back its line of prime rib subs, featuring two new variations. The Prime Rib XL includes a ½ lb of prime rib on an 8-inch sub, topped with sauteed onions, Swiss cheese and a horseradish sauce. The Prime Italian is made with the prime rib and topped with provolone cheese, sauteed onions, giardiniera, green peppers and marinara sauce.

Taco Cabana launched three limited-edition menu items, including spicy pork flautas, chicken tortilla soup and Oreo churros.

Made with Guajillo peppers, the pork flautas are available in a three-pack or a six-pack. The chicken tortilla soup features a savory broth made with shredded chicken and topped with tortilla strips, jack and cheddar cheeses, lime wedges and a side of rice.