McDonald’s had been teasing the return of its chicken Snack Wraps on social media, but Popeyes beat them to the punch with the launch of similar wraps of their own.

That was the big menu news this week that was discussed by hosts Pat Cobe, senior menu editor of Restaurant Business, and Bret Thorn, senior food & beverage editor of Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality.

Bret disdained the term “chicken wars” to describe the scenario: It’s the sale of food to customers, which in no way resembles the horrors of war. Nonetheless, people do enjoy referring to the situation that wy, so there you have it.

In other food news, several chains rolled out cookies this week, including a new lemon cookie from Jimmy John’s, chocolate chip cookies enrobing Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Oreos from Great American Cookies and an Espresso Martini-inspired cookie at Chip City Cookies that was only available for the June 6-7 weekend. There were also several beverage introductions of note, particularly Starbucks’ new Iced Horchata Oatmilk Shaken Espresso.

Then the co-hosts discussed the trend of pizza regionalization, particularly Connecticut’s push to attract New Yorkers to the suburbs to try that state’s coal-fired pies. That led them to Pat’s interview with Bret Lunsford, executive chef and culinary director of Sally’s Apizza, a small chain based in Connecticut, who has expanded the menu with creative pizza toppings, salads, and more. Give a listen.

Peaches, guava and Persian flavors are trending on menus this week, according to Pat Cobe, senior menu editor of Restaurant Business, and Bret Thorn, senior food & beverage editor of Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality, co-hosts of the Menu Talk podcast.

Bret observed that peach-themed drinks are making a comeback this summer. Chick-fil-A returned its Peach Milkshake for the 16th year and added a new Peach Frosted Lemonade, and Pat reported that Piada Italian Street Food, a much smaller chain, launched a cooling Peach Basil Fresca.

The beverage side of the menu continues to be a hotbed of innovation. Guava, a less-familiar fruit in the U.S., is moving into the mainstream. Bret pointed out that Dunkin’ introduced a guava, orange and passion fruit refresher, and A&W has a guava, orange and passion fruit freeze on the menu.

On the casual-dining front, Texas Roadhouse just rolled out a line of tropical-flavored mocktails, the chain’s first foray into zero-proof cocktails.

We mentioned previously how pistachio is getting more play in both food and drinks, and Pat noted that Nick the Greek is highlighting the flavor in a frozen yogurt dessert later this summer. It’s called Pistachio Cream “Dubai Chocolate” Froyo and is a takeoff on the decadent Dubai Chocolate Bar that is a viral sensation on TikTok. Which spurred a discussion on whether frozen yogurt is making a comeback. Tune in to find out.

Persian food seems to be emerging as a Middle Eastern niche, even in fast casual. Dig teamed up with a Persian-American content creator to put a Sumac Yogurt and Chicken Plate on the menu, and halvah is flavoring coffee at The Caffe by Mr. Espresso.

Danny Grant, chef-partner in Maple Hospitality Group.

Our guest this week is Danny Grant, chef-partner in Maple Hospitality Group, which operates three Maple & Ash Steakhouses in Chicago, Scottsdale and Miami. The newest in Miami has in-house dry-aging equipment and offers the Sundae Tower, an extravagant shareable dessert inspired by Grant’s mom. Listen as he shares the secrets behind Maple & Ash’s signatures and his passion for all things culinary.

Bret and guest co-host Heather Lalley discuss the latest food and beverage trends and share an interview with Susan Bae, executive pastry chef of Moon Rabbit in Washington, D.C.

With the National Restaurant Show in the rearview mirror, Bret Thorn, senior food & beverage editor of Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality, welcomed a guest co-host to the podcast, Heather Lalley, managing editor of sister publications Restaurant Business, Supermarket News, and CSP Daily News.

With an expert in the retail space joining the show, Bret and Heather discussed the increasing presence of drinks made with cannabis in that channel. There was also an entire section at the Restaurant Show dedicated to those drinks, with both hosts visited with enthusiasm, and Heather also sat in on a presentation on the potentially thorny legal issues around cannabis, regulations of which vary from state to state.

They also discussed some of the plant-based options at the show, which are of particular importance to Heather, who’s a pescatarian. Often the meatless options she’s presented with at meals, though tasty, tend to lack protein, being made with ingredients such as cauliflower and mushrooms.

Then Bret shared an interview with Susan Bae, the executive pastry chef of Moon Rabbit, a Vietnamese-inspired restaurant in Washington, D.C.