Snack Chat October 2025

Hey Snackology (taste) buds. Welcome to Snack Chat for October 2025. We’re just days away from Halloween (have you caught all of Snackology’s Halloween coverage?) and just about to enter the snackiest stretch of the year. I gotta stop making the mistake of scheduling my yearly physical for right after New Year’s ...

You probably have a few days left to grab one final pumpkin spice latte before the season is over. Why not read Snack Stack’s deep dive into the history of the iconic drink — and wonder if Tori Amos was actually the beverage’s secret inventor? While you’re doing that, I’m going to see what it’ll take to get the resurrected Chi-Chi’s restaurants to open a location by me. I’m owed a fried ice cream for my birthday.

Candy

• Juicy News: Nerds Unveils Mega Innovation with New Nerds Juicy Gummy Clusters (PR Newswire): “This launch marks the brand's most anticipated innovation since the debut of Nerds Gummy Clusters candy in 2020, celebrating a bold new chapter in the Nerds brand's four-decade legacy of imaginative product development, once again expanding the boundaries of what a candy can be.”
  • 🍪 Snackology Review: Nerds Juicy Gummy Clusters are uncharted snacking territory: “I don’t know where we go from here when it comes to Nerds Gummy Clusters. This was already a candy that repeatedly got a perfect snack score over here at Snackology. Can I give Nerds Juicy Gummy Clusters a sixth cookie? Is that allowed? We’re in uncharted snacking territory here, folks. Off the candy map.”
• M&M’s Pops with Brand's First-Ever Freeze-Dried Candy, M&M’s POP’d Caramel (PR Newswire): “M&M’s, proudly part of Mars, announces its latest innovation, M&M’s POP’d, the brand's first-ever freeze-dried candy, offering a totally new, totally irresistible, and poppable snacking experience. New M&M’s POP'd Caramel features the classic caramel flavor fans love in an unexpectedly light, crispy, and crunchy new texture — never before seen from M&M’s.”

Fast food

• Crispy Chicken Returns To Taco Bell With A Bold Buffalo Kick: Introducing Frank’s RedHot Diablo Sauce (Taco Bell): “Taco Bell’s fan-favorite Crispy Chicken is back, now accompanied with Frank’s RedHot Diablo — a creamy mashup of the original Buffalo flavor, Taco Bell’s signature Diablo sauce and spicy ranch. Perfect for drizzling or dunking, the sauce takes Crispy Chicken Burritos, Soft Tacos, Strips, and topped Nacho Fries into irresistible new territory.”
  • A New Era of Heat: Taco Bell Launches Flamin’ Hot Grilled Cheese Burrito (PR Newswire): “In true Taco Bell fashion, the burrito doesn’t just remix a fan favorite — it introduces something entirely new. The Flamin’ Hot Rice, prepared with Fritos Flamin’ Hot chips and a zesty seasoning blend of red peppers, cheddar cheese powder, garlic, paprika, and lime delivers a cheesy, fiery kick unlike anything fans have experienced before at Taco Bell.”
  • 🍪 Snackology Review: Taco Bell is feeling spicy with its Frank’s RedHot Diablo Sauce menu: “Taco Bell’s Nacho Fries are their secret weapon — why would you expect a taco place to have good fries? — and when you add ‘slow-roasted chicken, nacho cheese sauce, a three-cheese blend, pico de gallo and a drizzle of Frank’s RedHot Diablo’ to them, they’re irresistible.”
• Wendy’s Debuts “Tendys” on Menus Nationwide (Wendy’s): “With chicken dominating restaurant menus, and Wendy's strong history in the chicken space (hello, Nuggs!), these crunchy, premium Chicken Tenders are flavor-packed and savory, made with seasoned, crispy breading and juicy, all-white-meat chicken. They're everything a tender fan could want: crunchy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside.”
  • 🍪 Snackology Review: Chicken tenders? No. These are Wendy’s Tendys.: “Yes, Wendy’s has chicken tenders now. And they’re calling them Wendy’s Tendys. (I mean, I would absolutely do the same thing if I were Wendy’s and had this opportunity.) The Tendys rolled out this week along with a refreshed line of six new sauces.”
• BOO! We’re back, did you miss us? (McDonald’s): “This year’s lineup features familiar frightful faces – Ghost, Pumpkin and Goblin – plus two new ghoulie friends, Cat and Zombie. Each bucket has its own creepy, kooky and cute expressions, so you can collect them all! Fans can even dress up their pails with Halloween themed stickers.”
  • 🍪 Snackology Review: Boo Buckets are back to scare up some McDonald’s Halloween fun: “I’m still envious of the people who had the ghost bucket. We had a bunch of pumpkin buckets and a witch bucket at our house, but we never got the ghost one. It glowed in the dark! How could I not have been envious of the kids who had that one.”
  • McDonald’s Drops New Buffalo Ranch Sauce and Chips Ahoy! Frappé (McDonald’s): “Available nationwide by Nov. 3, the new Buffalo Ranch Sauce gives fans a blend of tangy & bold buffalo sauce, balanced by cool & creamy ranch. With flavor notes of buttermilk, garlic and onion that lend a subtle sweetness as gentle heat builds to a savory spice finish — it’s the best of both worlds.”
• Get Ready to Pass GO: Monopoly Game at McDonald’s Returns with More Chances to Win (PR Newswire): “Starting Oct. 6 for a limited time, fans across the country can rediscover the thrill of the peel — with new twists like digital game pieces when ordering select items using the app alongside the classic game pieces customers know and love on select menu items. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a first-time player, we’re giving fans even more ways to play in the McDonald’s app ... because two chances to win are always better than one.”
• Chipotle Reveals Red Chimichurri as Next Step in Menu Innovation (PR Newswire): “Sauces are a core factor for Gen Z's cravings. Ninety two percent of Gen Z consumers say they would visit a restaurant just for a sauce.2 Building off the success of Adobo Ranch, Chipotle's first new dip in five years that helped acquire new guests and drive incremental transactions, the brand is unlocking Red Chimichurri.”

Cookies

• From Game Day to Holidays: New Nestlé Toll House Cookie Tacos are this season’s dessert MVP (PR Newswire): “Looking to turn Taco Tuesday into a sweet victory? Introducing your newest dessert MVP: Nestlé Toll House Cookie Tacos. Made with 100% real chocolate and high-quality ingredients, Cookie Tacos deliver a winning mashup of two fan-favorite foods. The perfect dessert for holiday celebrations or game day watch parties, these customizable treats are sure to be the star of your next gathering.”

Soda

• PepsiCo splashes into dirty soda with new Mountain Dew flavor (Laurel Deppen, Food Dive): “‘Dirty Mountain Dew Cream Soda, with its creamy indulgent taste, is just another example of how we leverage innovation to engage our fans,’ Mark Kirkham, chief marketing officer for PepsiCo Beverages U.S., said in a statement. ‘As a brand that has always embraced culture, Dirty Mountain Dew takes the dirty soda trend to a whole new level.’”

Pizza

• Domino’s New Craveable Brand Refresh Makes You Say “Mmm” (Domino’s): “Domino’s Pizza Inc. is launching its first brand refresh in 13 years, with the goal of making every aspect of the brand as craveable as what’s inside the box. The brand took inspiration from its past and present, and transformed it into modernized elements that will better reach current and future pizza lovers.”
• Pizza Hut Revamps Wing Wednesday With New Lil’ Wings Deal (PR Newswire): “The middle of the week is tough and a bit lackluster, but office lunches, snack breaks and dinner plans don’t have to be with Pizza Hut’s new Lil’ Wings. Lil’ Wings are snackable, crispy, fried wings tossed in your favorite sauce or rub.”

And more!

• Slept Through That Late Night Food Delivery? Grubhub Snooze Insurance has College Students Covered (GrubHub): “From pizza to chicken nuggets (we see you, midnight cravings), Grubhub Snooze Insurance gives students a make-up meal to replace the one they slept through.”
• Back By Popular Demand, Pop-Tarts Frosted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Returns To Shelves After Three-Year Hiatus (PR Newswire): “This is not a drill! After years of fan pleas, the #1 most requested flavor across Pop-Tarts social channels, Frosted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, is officially returning to shelves this November. And this time, it’s here to stay!”