Most fast food diners are acquainted with restaurant chains rolling out unusual and indulgent menu items to attract customers and spur sales. Consider Taco Bell’s Doritos-flavored taco shells and KFC’s Double Down sandwich, which consists of bacon, two types of melted cheese and the Colonel’s secret sauce between two pieces of Original Recipe chicken filets.

This summer, several fast food companies have turned to pretzels and waffles to lighten up their menus:

• The Wendy’s Co., for instance, introduced the Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger, a limited-time-only sandwich featuring a beef patty topped with applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese sauce and honey mustard on an artisan-baked, authentic pretzel bun.
• Blimpie, a chain of sub sandwich restaurants, has added pretzel bread as a permanent option for sandwiches.
• Sonic Drive-In recently started selling Pretzel Dogs (hotdogs in pretzel buns).
• Dunkin’ Donuts has announced a plan to launch a pretzel roll bakery sandwich.

Rivaling the pretzel in the latest battle for atypical fast food feature supremacy is the waffle. Waffles are being incorporated into fast food menus in a variety of creative ways:

• Wendy’s, for instance, now offers its Original Vanilla and Chocolate Frosty in a waffle cone.
• Taco Bell’s Waffle Taco features sausage and eggs served in a taco-shaped, folded waffle.
• Jack in the Box offers the Big Waffle Stack, two fried eggs, crispy bacon, sausage, ham, and American cheese stacked between two lightly sweetened maple waffles.
• Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has introduced Chicken Waffle Tenders—chicken pieces coated in a crispy, waffle-flavored batter served with sweet honey maple dipping sauce.
• Auntie Anne’s Pretzels offers pretzel waffles in powdered sugar and cinnamon sugar flavors at select locations.

Source: Time Magazine