Cheese is in the spotlight at Sonic, which is adding two new cheesy options to its lineup. The Chili Cheese Bites are a bite-size version of Sonic’s chili with cheese in a crispy corn chip coating, while the Bacon Mac & Cheese Bites are made with macaroni and cheese blended with bacon pieces and coated in a light, crispy batter.

Additionally, Sonic is serving new Cold Brew Iced Coffee in original and vanilla flavors. The beverages include a touch of sweet cream.

Cheese is the star of Johnny Rocket’s new seasonal menu.

The Crispy Cheddar Bites are breaded and fried bites of cheddar cheese served with ranch dressing.

The Three Cheese Burger is topped with melted American, Swiss and cheddar cheese, applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, pickles and mayo and is served on a warm brioche bun.

The Three Cheese Grilled Chicken Sandwich features grilled chicken breast topped with melted American, Swiss and cheddar cheese, applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, pickles and mayo served on a warm wheat bun.

The Strawberry Cheesecake Shake is made with vanilla ice cream blended with New York style cheesecake bites, strawberry topping, and whole milk, and is garnished with whipped topping and more cheesecake bites.

Subway is launching the Ultimate Steak Sandwich, made with shaved steak, green peppers, red onions and a pinch of salt and pepper all served on cheesy garlic bread.

Denny’s is debuting three new breakfast offerings and two new entrees.

The Apple Bourbon Pancake Breakfast includes multigrain wheat pancakes made with flaxseeds, cinnamon and brown sugar topped with a caramel apple walnut bourbon sauce.

The Double Chocolate Pancake Puppies are made with Ghirardelli cocoa and chocolate chips, tossed in powdered sugar and served with a side of cream cheese icing.

The Apple Bourbon Crepe Breakfast features crepes folded with vanilla cream and topped with caramel apple walnut bourbon sauce.

The Bourbon Chicken & Garlic Peppercorn Sirloin Dinner includes a U.S.D.A. choice cut 8-oz seasoned sirloin steak topped with garlic peppercorn butter and a grilled seasoned chicken breast covered with a bourbon glaze, fire-roasted bell peppers, onions and mushrooms.

The Garlic Peppercorn Sirloin & Premium Chicken Tenders Dinner features a U.S.D.A. choice cut, 8-oz seasoned sirloin steak topped with garlic peppercorn butter and fried chicken tenderloins.

Papa John’s is launching Garlic Parmesan Crust, the brand’s first addition to its original pizza dough in company history.

“There’s a lot of fan love for Papa John’s signature garlic sauce, so we knew our first-ever innovation of our original crust had to feature it,” said Paul Fabre, senior vice-president of menu strategy and innovation at Papa John’s. “The new garlic Parmesan crust comes with our famous garlic sauce and artisan Parmesan-romano cheese baked into the crust. As always, garlic Parmesan crust pizzas come with our classic garlic sauce and pepperoncini in the box.

“Papa John’s is all about quality, and we don’t put anything on the menu that doesn’t meet our standards. It’s the first time we’re adding flavor to our fresh, never-frozen original dough and we are doing it with high quality ingredients that our guests love. As we continue to evolve and grow our business, we’re working to innovate more than ever while maintaining our commitment to quality.”

For the holiday season, El Pollo Loco is rolling out new offerings inspired by the brand’s Mexican heritage.

The Chicken Tamale Bowls are made with fire-grilled chicken simmered in red chile sauce and masa. The bowls come in three varieties: two chicken tamales, tamale and chopped chicken breast, and tamale and two-piece leg and thigh.

The Chicken Pozole Verde is a traditional holiday soup with fire-grilled chicken and hominy slow simmered in a tomatillo broth with garlic, onion and chile.

The Mexican Hot Chocolate is made with Abuelita chocolate, spiced with cinnamon and vanilla and topped with whipped cream and cinnamon sugar.

New from Einstein Bros. Bagels is the All-Nighter Egg Sandwich, featuring two fresh-cracked eggs, bacon, two slices of American cheese and jalapeño garlic aioli on a cheesy hash brown bagel.