October’s fast-food menus are giving familiar orders a costume change. A burger gets a pretzel bun. Marshmallow foam turns purple. Birthday cake finds a home in an empanada.
The appeal is not always an entirely new invention. Sometimes it is a familiar ingredient taking an unexpected turn, like Bojangles biscuit dough becoming sugar-coated donut bites.
These 12 additions include September arrivals, early October releases, and one dessert scheduled for later this month. This isn’t a taste-tested ranking, but a look at what is new across participating U.S. locations.
Burger King’s Game Day Pretzel Burger
If your usual burger order could use a change, start with the bun.
Burger King’s Game Day Pretzel Burger puts a flame-grilled beef patty, American cheese, bacon, crispy onions, and nacho cheese sauce inside a SUPERPRETZEL soft pretzel bun.
The combination borrows from stadium concessions while keeping a recognizable burger at its center. According to Burger King’s official announcement, it arrived at participating U.S. restaurants on October 6.
Popeyes’ Honey Chicken Biscuit
Popeyes is giving its biscuit a bigger assignment.
The Honey Chicken Biscuit pairs the chain’s chicken with a larger buttermilk biscuit. Two packets of honey sauce let customers decide how sweet they want it.
Introduced September 28, the sandwich is advertised at $5, though prices vary by location. The format stays straightforward: chicken, biscuit, and honey, with no elaborate assembly required.
Taco Bell’s Milk Bar Birthday Cake Empanada
This one requires a little patience.
Taco Bell and Milk Bar’s Birthday Cake Empanada is scheduled to arrive October 15. A crispy pastry holds a cake-batter-flavored filling, topped with pink frosting and rainbow sprinkles to complete the birthday theme.
Taco Bell’s announcement lists a price of $3.49, with prices varying by location. It will be available for a limited time at participating restaurants nationwide, while supplies last. Consider it an upcoming addition, not something to order on October 12.
Starbucks’ Aerocano
Not every fall drink needs a pumpkin costume.
Starbucks’ Aerocano takes a different route, using air-whipped Blonde Espresso to create light foam and a cascading appearance.
Introduced September 29, it offers a new interpretation of the iced Americano. The difference is in the preparation and presentation, making it a better option for customers who prefer coffee texture over seasonal decor.
Dairy Queen’s Enchanted OREO Blizzard
Dairy Queen has turned a familiar cookie dessert purple.
The Enchanted OREO Blizzard combines OREO cookie pieces, an ube-flavored base, purple shimmer, and soft serve. It’s part of the chain’s Halloween Spellbound Series.
The announced seasonal window runs from September 28 through November 1. For anyone who likes an October treat to look the part, this one makes its Halloween intentions clear.
Bojangles’ Cinnamon Toast Crunch Iced Coffee
Bojangles is drawing inspiration from the cereal aisle for its latest coffee offering.
The Cinnamon Toast Crunch Iced Coffee combines medium-roast cold brew, sweet cream, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch syrup.
That gives customers a cereal-inspired choice alongside the season’s many pumpkin offerings. It is part of the chain’s fall lineup at participating restaurants, while supplies last.
Related: 7 Restaurant Chains Americans Love the Most
Firehouse Subs’ Pecan Bar
Halloween may dominate October, but Firehouse Subs is already making room for Thanksgiving flavors.
Its new Pecan Bar combines toasted pecans and caramel in a dessert baked daily in restaurants.
The bar arrived alongside the returning Thanksgiving Turkey Sub. You do not have to order the full holiday-inspired meal to appreciate the idea: a small seasonal dessert can finish an otherwise ordinary sandwich run.
Burger King’s Chicken Fries With Nacho Cheese Sauce
The Game Day menu also offers a smaller change for customers who would rather skip the burger.
Chicken Fries with Nacho Cheese Sauce pairs Burger King’s existing chicken fries with a side of nacho cheese sauce for dipping.
It is a new pairing rather than an entirely new chicken product. The combination joined participating U.S. menus on October 6, alongside the pretzel burger.
Starbucks’ Pumpkin Mini Pie
Sometimes the pumpkin craving calls for a pastry instead of a drink.
Starbucks’ Pumpkin Mini Pie features creamy pumpkin filling and fall spices. It is one of three new miniature pies, alongside Apple Crumble and Pecan.
Starbucks’ official fall announcement identifies September 29 as the launch date. The smaller format brings familiar pie flavors to a coffee-shop order without requiring a whole pie to take home.
Bojangles’ Donut Bites
Bojangles biscuit dough is doing double duty this fall.
The new Donut Bites are made from buttermilk biscuit dough, fried, coated in sugar, and served with salted caramel dipping sauce.
Available in six-piece and 12-piece portions, they give a familiar biscuit ingredient a sweet new role. The chain’s fall-menu announcement lists them at participating restaurants while supplies last.
Dunkin’s Purple Marshmallow Cold Foam
Dunkin’s Halloween addition sits on top of the cup.
Purple Marshmallow Cold Foam gives the chain’s marshmallow topping a seasonal color change. It appears on featured drinks including the Terror-misu Cloud Latte and Franki Matcha.
Introduced September 30, the limited-time foam is a topping, not a standalone beverage. Its role is small but noticeable: dressing up an existing drink format for spooky season.
Jamba’s Pumpkin Moo’d Smoothie
Jamba is bringing chocolate into its pumpkin lineup.
The new Pumpkin Moo’d adds a chocolate element through the chain’s Moo’d Powder, offering a variation alongside the returning Pumpkin Smash.
Both arrived October 1 at participating locations for a limited time, while supplies last. If pumpkin alone does not hold your attention, this pairing gives the seasonal smoothie a different direction.
A Familiar Order, With a Seasonal Twist
These additions approach fall from several directions: football concessions, Halloween colors, holiday desserts, and new coffee preparation. introduce new products; others give existing ingredients a different job.
Check the local menu before making a special trip, since availability and prices can vary. With so many familiar favorites getting a seasonal twist, which would you try first: a small change to your usual order or something completely outside it?
