The New Items
Chick-fil-A is expanding its limited-time menu with a Chicken & Waffles Sandwich built for both dayparts and a pair of S'mores-inspired beverages, all hitting more than 3,000 U.S. locations on August 24. The fall launch is the chain's highest-profile LTO drop of the year and marks the nationwide rollout of a format that was tested in select markets during 2025.
The Chicken & Waffles Sandwich is engineered around a split-daypart strategy: a smaller-format version is available during standard breakfast hours through 10:30 a.m., while a larger entrée size runs from 10:30 a.m. to close. Both formats feature maple-flavored waffles, applewood smoked bacon, honey butter spread, and a side of classic syrup. Guests can choose from Original, Spicy, or Grilled filets — a customization layer that matters for operators managing both speed-of-service and ticket variation across the full day.
S'mores & Beverage Strategy
On the beverage side, the S'mores Milkshake combines Chick-fil-A's signature Icedream dessert with chocolate shortbread, graham cracker crumbles, and marshmallow-flavored syrup topped with marshmallow-flavored whipped topping. The S'mores Frosted Coffee blends custom cold-brewed coffee with marshmallow-flavored syrup and the same Icedream-and-crumble base. Both beverages follow Chick-fil-A's established playbook of anchoring seasonal drinks to its proprietary Icedream platform, a tactic that drives attachment rates and check averages across QSR beverage programs.
"Both Chicken & Waffles and S'mores are much-loved classics, and we challenged ourselves to bring those flavors to our menu in a playful and unexpected way," said Allison Duncan, director of menu and packaging for Chick-fil-A. "After seeing the incredible response and excitement from Guests in our test markets, we couldn't wait to share these flavors nationwide."
Operator Context
The fall lineup slots into Chick-fil-A's yearlong "Newstalgia" campaign marking its 80-year heritage, a structured promotional arc that has already produced permanent menu additions — Frosted Sodas and Floats — alongside limited-run merchandise and packaging updates. For franchise operators and foodservice observers, the dual-daypart structure of the Chicken & Waffles Sandwich is the most operationally significant detail: by sizing the platform differently for breakfast versus lunch and dinner, the chain avoids menu cannibalization while capturing incremental afternoon and evening traffic from guests who associate the format with morning occasions.
The move reflects a broader QSR trend toward all-day breakfast extensions and nostalgia-driven LTO cycles that have proven resilient in traffic-soft environments. As the third-largest quick-service restaurant company in the United States by revenue, Chick-fil-A's seasonal drops carry substantial weight in shaping category expectations around flavor innovation and limited-time execution. Industry peers and beverage program developers will be watching attachment rates on the S'mores drinks as a signal for how campfire-classic flavors perform outside summer grilling season.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
