If 2019 was the year of the fried chicken sandwich, 2022 may be the one in which fast-food chains' mediocre desserts may finally become unacceptable.
Last week, Yum! Brands (YUM)'s Taco Bell upped the ante by partnering with upscale New York bakery Milk Bar for a Strawberry Bell Truffle or, in layman's terms, truffle-sized bites of vanilla cake with strawberry pieces soaked in strawberry milk.
Did Someone Say Banana Cream?
A Restaurant Brands International (QSR) brand, Louisiana-style fried chicken chain Popeyes has been known for having more desserts than the single shake customary to many chains.
Along with the cinnamon apple pie currently on menus, Popeyes has offered everything from Mardi Gras Cheesecake to pumpkin pie and chocolate chip cookies as dessert over the years.
Popeyes
Those with a sweet tooth will be happy to know that two more desserts will now be sold at Popeyes — while its base is a regular vanilla cake that one would have on a birthday, the Banana Cream Cake is topped with banana cream and Nilla wafer crumbs.
At the price of $2.99, the Banana Cream Cake is a bite-sized way to finish off a meal. Along with dessert, Popeyes is also bringing back the chocolate beignets it launched in December 2020.
Beignets are bite-sized pastries filled with Hershey's chocolate and dusted with so much sugar that you'll need ten napkins to mop it up.
"Being a brand from New Orleans, Popeye's knows a thing or two about beignets, and one thing’s for certain — they can be MESSY!" the company said when the beignets were first released in 2020. "One bite and powdered sugar is everywhere."
In other words, don't wear black pants when eating these.
Meal Deals From Days Gone By
This seems to be the time for menu changes because Popeyes is also bringing back its Surf and Turf meal. The $7 combo comes with the brand's signature fried chicken sandwich and four pieces of Hushpuppy Shrimp with a side of creole cocktail dipping sauce.
Popeyes is also bringing back the Hushpuppy Shrimp meal – the $6 box of eight butterfly shrimp with a biscuit, a sauce and a side was taken off the menus in 2016 to make room for other things.
Popeyes
This summer, those who order the meal through the Popeyes mobile app will also be able to get it for $5 instead of $6.
But those who like these items should not get too used to them as they're all limited-time promotions that will only be available throughout the summer.
Expect To See More Popeyes Abroad
After its fried chicken sandwich went viral and caused round-the-block lines in 2019, Popeyes has been on a mission to create other products that will cause a similar sensation. The company is constantly testing new products as limited-time promotions. In an exclusive interview with TheStreet in May, President Sami Siddiqui said that the process of adding a new full-time item to the menu can take anywhere from three to five years.
"So we do a bunch of research to understand who our guests are, what they want and even who our guests are not. The folks who may not come to us as often, what do they want?" Siddiqui said. "[...] Once [our team] come[s] up with things, it goes to sensory testing and eventually market testing and operational testing to see what kind of impact it will have on our franchisees and profitability."
