Nostalgia is 1 of the hottest fast-food trends of the year, pinch galore chains leaning into the past to drawback customers' attention.
Chick-fil-A has spent overmuch of 2026 embracing that strategy, successful grant of the chain's 80th anniversary.
At the apical of the year, the concatenation declared it a twelvemonth of "Newstalgia," introducing retro cups and packaging while making soda-fountain-inspired floats and Frosted Sodas imperishable paper items.
Its latest limited-time menu takes the strategy a measurement further by combining 2 acquainted American favorites: chickenhearted and waffles and s'mores.
Launched nationwide connected August 24, the lineup includes 3 versions of a chicken-and-waffles sandwich, served pinch bacon, chromatic butter, and syrup, arsenic good arsenic a S'mores Milkshake and S'mores Frosted Coffee.
"Chicken and waffles and s'mores are much-loved classics, and we challenged ourselves to bring those flavors to our paper successful a playful and unexpected way," Allison Duncan, Chick-fil-A's head of paper and packaging, said successful a statement.
The paper quickly began attracting attraction online, showing really efficaciously fast-food chains tin move comforting flavors into thing that still feels caller and social-media-ready.
While online reviews of the caller paper were mostly affirmative — 1 TikTok creator said they waited complete an hr successful the drive-thru statement conscionable to effort it — others said they recovered the waffles tin get soggy moreover without the added syrup, and the wide spirit floor plan tin separator connected too sweet.
I tried each 5 caller items to spot whether Chick-fil-A's latest nostalgia play lived up to the hype, and while I wouldn't bid immoderate of the items again, I walked distant convinced that the inclination isn't disappearing anytime soon.
Business Insider reached retired to Chick-fil-A for remark connected this story.
I started pinch the classical chicken-and-waffles sandwich.
The sandwich stacked Chick-fil-A's original breaded chickenhearted filet betwixt 2 maple-flavored waffles pinch 3 strips of bacon and honey-butter spread. It costs $8.95, excluding taxation and fees.
I didn't work together pinch immoderate societal media users who said the sandwiches were excessively sweet, since I expected a maple-waffle sandwich to beryllium sweet. Plus, a information of classical syrup came connected the side, giving maine power complete really overmuch other sweetness I added to each bite.
The ample filet extended beyond the waffles, making it consciousness overmuch much important than a emblematic fast-food meal sandwich.
All 3 sandwiches besides travel successful a larger size erstwhile luncheon and meal commencement being served astatine the chain.
The sandwich came topped pinch 3 strips of bacon and chromatic butter.
Lifting the apical waffle revealed that the sandwich's building was really rather simple.
Most of the sandwich's spirit came from the opposition betwixt the salty chickenhearted and bacon and the saccharine waffles, chromatic butter, and syrup.
The classical type tasted for illustration a play brunch condensed into 1 sandwich.
The bacon added conscionable the correct magnitude of saltiness and savory flavor, while the chickenhearted bosom was moist and crispy. The saccharine maple waffles balanced it each out, adding a touch of autumn to this sandwich.
It felt much for illustration eating a comfort-food brunch than ordering a modular chickenhearted sandwich from a drive-thru.
Of the 3 versions, this 1 delivered the astir straightforward type of the nostalgia theme.
The spicy chickenhearted added much opposition to the sweet-and-savory combination.
The spicy chickenhearted and waffles sandwich utilized the aforesaid waffles, bacon, chromatic butter, and syrup arsenic the original. However, the darker, much heavy seasoned crust distinguished it from the classical version.
The sandwich costs somewhat much than the original. It was $9.39, excluding taxation and fees.
The power lingered aft each wound alternatively of hitting maine correct away.
The salty bacon reinforced the sandwich's savory side, while the chromatic food softened immoderate of the spice. I utilized the syrup sparingly, since the waffles already brought plentifulness of maple flavor.
Overall, the spicy chickenhearted created a much balanced opposition betwixt sweetness, salt, and heat. Of the 3 sandwiches, this was my favorite, arsenic I thought it packed the astir flavor.
Lastly, I tried the grilled chicken-and-waffles sandwich. It offered a lighter-looking return connected the aforesaid indulgent concept.
The 3rd type replaced the fried chickenhearted pinch 1 of Chick-fil-A's grilled filets. Its visible grill marks and thinner floor plan made this look noticeably different from the first 2 sandwiches.
Without the breading, it besides appeared little heavy, though the bacon, waffles, and chromatic food still made it a important meal.
It costs $9.05, excluding taxation and fees.
Without the breading, the bacon became overmuch much prominent.
The bacon spirit came done overmuch much heavy connected this sandwich than pinch the different variations.
Despite the leaner filet, the sandwich still delivered the recognizable flavors of chicken, waffles, bacon, and maple. The grilled chickenhearted conscionable made each wound consciousness lighter than the fried version.
However, I thought the sandwich wasn't arsenic decadent aliases flavorful arsenic the different two, and I'd beryllium astir inclined to bid the spicy type again.
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Erin McDowell is simply a newsman connected Business Insider's editorial partnerships team. She covers food, lifestyle, and intermezo for Business Insider and its partner sites, including MSN, Apple News, and Yahoo.She graduated from Elon University successful January 2019, wherever she studied strategical communications and integer art. She has written for V Magazine, Milk.XYZ, OUT.com, Brides Magazine, and more. She lives successful Brooklyn, New York, and tin beryllium recovered connected LinkedIn. Please nonstop each inquiries, comments, aliases tips to [email protected].Selected stories:
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