Skift Take
We've purposefully stayed away with the season of pumpkin spice items in order to focus on what matters: turkey-themed offerings and the ubiquitous/elusive McRib.
— Jason Clampet
McDonald’s knows a thing or two about making meat items that are more the idea of how meat is shaped than how meat is really shaped (hello, Chicken McNugget), and perhaps the pinnacle of this art is the elusive, seasonal, and long-time favorite McRib. Read on to learn about this and more new menu items.
Every few weeks Skift Table will wrap up the latest seasonal and new items on chain restaurant menus in the United States. We don’t call out everything (sorry limited-time Pumpkin Spice something), but we will call out items that are notable for what they mean to a chain, the season, or consumer habits.
McDonald’s
McRib
When: Limited time only
Where: Participating locations
Skift Table Take: The McRib is the epitome of the limited time only/participating locations food item. Part nostalgia, part formed meat slab, the McRib carries its responsibility like it carries its too sweet barbecue sauce: cloyingly. Its fans track its appearance on social media and websites like McRib Locator and — finally — McDonald’s iOS and Android apps. That’s a smart use of new technology for a throwback favorite.
Read more from McDonald’s.
White Castle
Turkey Sliders
When: Limited time only
Where: “Participating Castles”
Skift Table Take: Just in time for Thanksgiving, White Castle has variations on a turkey burger, thanks to a collaboration with Butterball. They have two to choose from, one they call a Bistro Turkey Slider, which has an ambiguously named “bistro sauce” on it, and a Cheddar Apple Butter Turkey Slider, with cheddar cheese and apple butter. Neither sound very appetizing — which is why Arby’s offerings, below, seem to be more in touch with what people really want now.
Read more from White Castle.
Arby’s
Deep-Fried Turkey Sandwiches
When: Until December 23, 2018
Where: Participating locations
Skift Table Take: We can get behind this seasonal suite of sandwiches. Using roasted turkey that they then deep fry, this fall Arby’s is again pitching stacks of turkey meat that makes up for the bird’s tendency for bland and dry meat by dipping it in a deep fryer. Choose from a turkey BLT, the “Gobbler (with cranberry and Swiss cheese), and a “Cajun” style one with onion rings (we’re not sure what makes this “Cajun”). As a seasonal bonus, you can also get cinnamon apple crisp for dessert.
Read more from Arby’s.
