Del Taco is bringing the burn to its menu with a new limited-time lineup built around one fiery centerpiece: FLAMIN' HOT® flavored Queso.

The nation's second-largest Mexican quick-service chain has teamed up with the iconic CHEETOS® FLAMIN' HOT® brand to create a creamy queso blanco spiked with that signature scorching heat — then poured over some of Del Taco's most beloved items.

The lineup is extensive. Think loaded nachos piled with seasoned beef, jalapeños, and sour cream; Crinkle Cut Fries buried under the spiced queso; burritos stuffed with crispy chicken or freshly grilled marinated chicken; and a simple-but-satisfying queso-and-chips option for dipping devotees.

Del Taco's Chief Marketing Officer described the collaboration as one that adds "unmistakable flavor" while staying true to what fans already love — a balancing act between two iconic brands with built-in followings.

The chain's leadership also framed the launch as part of a broader push called Project Del Sunrise, signaling that bold ingredient collabs like this one are central to the brand's reinvention strategy.

The FLAMIN' HOT® flavored Queso lineup is available at participating locations through November 18, 2026 — so there's plenty of time to work up a sweat.

Something is shifting at restaurants across America: more people are showing up alone — and ordering exactly what they want. Solo dining reservations jumped 22% year over year in the third quarter of 2025, according to restaurant technology company Toast, while separate data from OpenTable points to a 23% surge in single bookings, with solo diners spending an average of $94 per meal.

Though solo reservations still make up less than 1% of total bookings, industry insiders say the trend signals a meaningful cultural shift. "People stopped waiting for someone else to be free," said Stephen Ingber, a Denver-based private chef, noting that roughly 15% of his bookings are now for one guest — and rising.

Younger consumers, particularly Gen Z and millennials, are leading the charge, embracing meals built around personal pace and convenience rather than social obligation. Experts say restaurants that offer bar seating, wine by the glass, and attentive solo-friendly service stand to gain loyal regulars.

And for anyone still feeling self-conscious about dining alone? Grief therapist and Solo Dining Directory founder Rene Mondy puts it simply: being surrounded by others doesn't always equal real connection. Sometimes a great meal just requires a reservation.

As Americans spend less time socializing face-to-face than at any point in recent memory, an unlikely gathering spot has emerged: Costco. The membership warehouse club — famous for bulk groceries and bargain-priced hot dogs — is now being recognized by sociologists as a modern-day "third place," joining bars, churches, and parks as somewhere people build genuine community outside home and work.

Consumer trend analyst Phil Lempert puts it simply: "You go in for paper towels and walk out having sampled food, discovered something unexpected and maybe bumped into someone you know. Their secret sauce is the sampling."

The stories are remarkably varied. College students at UC Davis organize quarterly Costco food-court outings to fight loneliness. Friends swap expensive dinners for a $3 froyo and a week's worth of meal prep. In Brentwood, Tennessee, a veterans' group nicknamed "Camp Costco" has met over Friday hot dogs for more than 25 years. Some couples treat shopping trips as date night — affectionately calling it "clubbing for married folks."

The trend reflects something deeper. The surgeon general's 2023 advisory found roughly half of all adults experience loneliness, and 44% say they have nowhere in their community to go regularly. Costco's treasure-hunt atmosphere, free samples, and member-club psychology may be quietly filling that gap.

Every region has its culinary crown jewels — the local chains so beloved that former residents mourn them after moving away. But some of these spots are simply too good to stay secret, and a recent deep dive spotlights more than a dozen regional restaurants that deserve a national stage.

The lineup is deliciously eclectic. Mighty Taco has defined fast-food in Buffalo since 1973, complete with Buffalo wing–inspired burritos and a headline-grabbing Vladimir Putin ban. Braum's Ice Cream and Dairy Store, a Midwest staple rooted in a 1930s butter plant, produces a reported million glasses of milk daily from its own herd. Ohio's Swenson's Drive-In has been turning out legendary, top-secret-recipe burgers since 1934.

Further down the list, Skyline Chili polarizes and enchants Cincinnati with cinnamon-and-clove chili ladled over spaghetti, while Chicago's Fry the Coop fries its Nashville hot chicken in beef tallow — with heat levels cheekily named "Call 911" and "R.I.P." Southern biscuit chain Biscuitville bakes fresh batches every 15 minutes across the Carolinas and Virginia.

The common thread? Fierce local loyalty, distinct flavors, and an authenticity that big national chains rarely manage to replicate. Road trip, anyone?

Two Southern-born fast food giants dominate the fried chicken landscape, but Chick-fil-A and KFC produce remarkably different results — and the reasons go far deeper than the menu board.

It starts with seasoning. KFC leans on its legendary — and fiercely guarded — blend of 11 herbs and spices, while Chick-fil-A's profile is thought to include paprika, mustard powder, and MSG. Contrary to popular belief, the pickle-juice brine reportedly disappeared from Chick-fil-A's process back in the mid-2000s.

The wash matters, too. Chick-fil-A dips every piece in an egg-and-milk mixture, locking in moisture and keeping the coating firmly attached. KFC uses plain cold water — a cost-saver, but one that may explain why the breading has a reputation for sliding off.

Cooking oil is another dividing line: Chick-fil-A fries exclusively in refined peanut oil, while KFC switched to low-linolenic soybean oil in 2007 to eliminate trans fats.

Then there's the bone question. Chick-fil-A is almost entirely boneless by design, whereas KFC built its empire on bone-in cuts before gradually expanding into sandwiches and strips. Even KFC's own founder, Colonel Sanders, famously hated the chain's Extra Crispy line, calling it "a damn fried doughball stuck on some chicken."

Fast food is convenient, affordable, and — it turns out — full of surprises that chains would rather keep quiet. From Reddit confessions by former employees to scientific experiments, a clearer picture of what really goes on behind the counter is emerging.

Start with your drink order. Ice machines at major chains — including McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, and Starbucks — have repeatedly tested with more bacteria than toilet water in independent experiments. Soda fountain nozzles, meanwhile, are supposed to be cleaned daily but often go weeks without attention, with visible mold a common result.

Those perfectly spaced grill marks on your burger? Stamped on by a machine called a rotary brander before the meat is frozen and shipped. And that fresh salad you ordered thinking it was the healthy choice? A Wendy's taco salad can pack more fat and calories than a Big Mac.

Former workers also confirm that heat-lamp timers are routinely reset rather than followed, meaning your food may be far older than it looks. Wendy's chili is famously made from overcooked, unsold burger patties that are boiled and mashed into the mix.

On the brighter side, ordering fries without salt forces a fresh batch, and simply asking for a receipt at McDonald's tends to trigger noticeably better service — staff are trained to spot mystery shoppers who always request one.

McDonald's employs millions of people worldwide, and those workers have a few things they desperately wish customers understood before pulling up to the Golden Arches.

Know your order before you reach the counter — or the drive-thru speaker. Indecision during a rush creates a chain reaction of frustration, and employees often bear the brunt of other customers' impatience.

On the subject of drive-thrus: the microphone is always live. From the moment your car triggers the sensor, staff can hear every conversation in your vehicle — including anything unflattering you might say about them.

If you want fresh fries, simply ask for them rather than ordering unsalted, which creates unnecessary extra work. And if you're asked to pull forward and wait, that's actually good news — it means your food is being cooked to order.

A few myths, busted: the broken ice cream machine usually isn't the staff's fault, McNuggets are not made from a mysterious pink paste, and burgers don't rot because the cooking process eliminates bacteria and moisture — not because of sinister preservatives.

Perhaps most importantly, employees cannot give away free food without risking termination, can't help you win Monopoly prizes, and absolutely cannot serve you on foot through the drive-thru. Treat the people making your meal with patience — they're navigating more rules than most customers ever realize.

Cracker Jacks BBQ may be a newer restaurant addition to Lancaster, but the story behind the food goes back much further.

What started as homemade rubs, marinades, slow-smoked meats, and catering for friends, family, and local events eventually grew into a full barbecue operation with deep roots in the Antelope Valley.

The restaurant itself is designed to feel relaxed and full of character, with a juke-joint-style atmosphere, blues music, and plenty of signs and personality throughout the space. It is the kind of place that feels casual, comfortable, and built around the food.

And at Cracker Jacks, the barbecue is all about patience. The brisket can take up to 18 hours to prepare and smoke, using a traditional low-and-slow method designed to develop tenderness and flavor. Early customer favorites include the brisket, baby back ribs, garlic buffalo wings, smoked chicken, mac and cheese, coleslaw, garlic mashed potatoes, potato wedges, barbecue beans, cornbread, and greens.

The baby back ribs get especially strong praise for being meaty, well-seasoned, and tender enough to come cleanly off the bone.

The brisket has also earned positive comments for its tenderness and visible smoke ring. Sides like the mac and cheese and coleslaw are often described as having that homemade, comfort-food quality that belongs next to barbecue.

Dessert deserves attention too. The blackberry cobbler, served hot with vanilla ice cream, has been called a standout and is large enough to share.

Cracker Jacks is also still very much a catering business. They offer full-service catering, drop-off service, and special-event packages for weddings, corporate events, picnics, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and hors d'oeuvres.

Local Bites Take: Cracker Jacks BBQ brings real smokehouse character, generous comfort food, friendly service, and a strong catering background to Lancaster. For AV barbecue fans who have been tired of driving out of the area for smoked meats, this is a local spot worth putting on the list.

Independent restaurants can't always match the marketing budgets of national chains — but that doesn't mean they can afford to skip it. A smart, consistent marketing strategy is essential to survival in a competitive dining landscape.

Experts at Back of House break it down into five non-negotiables. First, build a professional, mobile-friendly website that's easy to find, easy to navigate, and regularly updated. Second, show up on social media — platforms like Instagram and TikTok are where your customers already are, and operators who leaned into social media saw nearly a 10% boost in consumer-driven revenue last year.

Third, grow your contact list. Email and text campaigns remain some of the highest-return marketing tools available, with text messages read within three minutes 90% of the time. Fourth, manage your online reputation — 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, making your ratings on Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor critical.

Finally, get involved in your local community. Sponsoring events, partnering with schools, and hosting neighborhood gatherings builds genuine goodwill that no ad budget can buy.

The takeaway: these five pillars work together, and skipping even one leaves money — and loyal customers — on the table.