Chick-fil-A's been on a roll this year with new menu items celebrating 80 years in business.
Now they're playing favorites with two lucky cities.
Oklahoma City and three North Carolina towns just got access to sandwiches that won't hit your local Chick-fil-A anytime soon – if ever.
Chick-fil-A New Menu Items 2026: Regional Test Markets Get Exclusive Access
The chicken chain launched two completely different regional experiments yesterday, and they couldn't be more opposite if they tried.
Restaurants in Oklahoma's capital now serve the Avocado Sriracha BLT Sandwich through March 7.
It's bacon, avocado mash, and cayenne ranch on something called Sriracha Swirl Toast – a brand new bread option that doesn't exist anywhere else in their 3,000+ locations nationwide.
You pick your protein: classic breaded, spicy breaded, or grilled chicken.
Meanwhile, Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem in North Carolina – the Piedmont Triad region – got the Sweet Chili Lime Crunch Sandwich.
This one's topped with sweet chili sauce and cabbage slaw with ginger lime dressing.
Both run until early March, which means corporate's watching sales data to decide if either sandwich deserves a nationwide rollout.
How Chick-fil-A Test Locations Decide What Becomes A Limited Time Menu Item Nationwide
Here's what most people don't understand about these regional experiments – they're not random.
Fast food chains pick markets based on demographics, purchasing power, and how similar those cities are to the national customer base.
Oklahoma City and the North Carolina Triad aren't accidents.
They represent middle America – conservative-leaning regions with strong Chick-fil-A loyalty and customers who'll actually show up and buy experimental menu items multiple times.
The chicken and waffle sandwiches they ran in Baltimore and San Antonio from December through late January? Those followed the exact same playbook.
Baltimore got both breakfast and all-day versions while San Antonio only got breakfast – different experiments measuring different customer behaviors in markets with slightly different demographics.
If sales hit internal targets and operations run smooth, corporate fast-tracks nationwide rollout.
If the sandwiches flop or cause kitchen chaos, they disappear forever and you never hear about them again.
That's why you should care even if you don't live in these cities – they're deciding what lands on your menu in six months.
Chick-fil-A Sandwich Prices And Permanent Menu Changes Already Rolled Out This Year
The regional experiments come after the chain made Frosted Sodas and Floats permanent nationwide additions starting January 5.
Those mix or layer their Icedream soft serve with fountain drinks – eight options including Dr Pepper, Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, and Hi-C varieties.
They also launched fall items in 2025 that did well enough to stick around, including Pretzel Cheddar Club sandwiches and waffle potato chips in two flavors.
The pattern's clear – Chick-fil-A runs aggressive market experiments, keeps winners, and kills losers before they damage the brand.
It's the opposite of chains that announce nationwide launches and then scramble when items don't sell.
Smart strategy in a fast food market where competitors are copying your menu within weeks and customers expect constant novelty without sacrificing speed or quality.
The BLT and Asian fusion sandwiches represent completely different flavor profiles targeting different taste preferences, which means corporate's hedging bets on what regional tastes might scale nationally.
One could win, both could win, or both could die – depends entirely on sales data coming out of these six-week runs.
If you live in Oklahoma City or the Piedmont Triad, you're literally voting with your wallet on what the rest of America gets to eat in 2026.
Sources:
- Sabrina Weiss, "Chick-fil-A Launches BLT and Sweet Chili Chicken Sandwiches in Select Cities," People, February 4, 2026.
- "Chick-fil-A Announces Major Changes for 2026," Newsweek, January 2026.
- "Chick-fil-A Tests New Chicken and Waffle Sandwiches in Select Cities," Fox Business, November 16, 2025.