Dunkin’ Donuts continues to expand their oven-toasted menu, with the addition of the new Southwest Chicken Flatbread Sandwich, which features grilled chicken, cheddar cheese, red and green peppers, onions, and a maple-chipotle sauce, pressed inside a warm toasty flatbread shell. DD’s oven-toasted menu launched earlier this year as the most significant change to their product lineup since the company launched espresso-based beverages back in 2003.

In order to introduce the new menu, Dunkin’ Donuts shops received an entirely new cooking platform. New cooking ovens, using patented technologies, deliver the “Oven-Toasted” result. In addition to the new Southwest Chicken, three other classic flavors are available: Turkey, Cheddar and Bacon - Ham and Swiss - Grilled Cheese.

Visit DunkinDonuts.com to find a location near you.

No Boobs at Starbucks — The Fast Food Maven reports that Starbucks will soon be pulling the image of the topless mermaid from it’s coffee cups. The “Heritage” logo as it’s called, has created a small controversy since it appeared in April, at the same time the company’s new version of Pike Place Roast coffee was introduced. I see my friend Jeff from Knowzy.com has already been there and posted, but I’m sure the boob topic had nothing to do with it. Right Jeff?

Prime Rib on a Hamburger? — Yes indeed, Hardee’s (sibling of CarlsJr) has just introduced a new product called the Prime-Rib Thickburger. The company describes their new creation as — “A one-third pound 100% Black Angus beef patty topped with thinly-sliced prime rib, horseradish sauce, Swiss cheese, and grilled onions on a Ciabatta roll served with a cup of Au jus for dipping.”

Alabama gets Dunked — Dunkin Donuts has announced plans to expand into the state of Alabama. They are actively seeking people interested in starting their own DD franchise. They plan to open 142 locations in the state over the next few years. For more information about starting your own Dunkin Donuts store, visit DunkinFranchising.com or call toll-free 1-877-9-DUNKIN.

Chick-fil-A does Pizza? — Not exactly, but the 87 year old founder of CFA, Truett Cathy, has opened a new pizza restaurant located in Fayetteville, Georgia, called “Upscale Pizza”. The 90-seat dining establishment offers customers a chance to create their own pizzas, sandwiches, hot wings, and hot dogs by choosing toppings and sauces. They also serve pie, ice cream, and feature a kid’s menu. Despite the ‘Upscale’ name, the environment is casual and family friendly. There are no plans for additional locations and no direct affiliation with CFA.

Pizza from Subway — Yes it’s true, Subway is serving mini-pizzas. I had another one today, my second this week. This small ‘personal’ pie is similar to the $4 pizzas from Domino’s. The core of the Subway pizza (crust, sauce and cheese) is prepared off-site, then frozen and sent to stores across the country, where toppings are added and the pie gets cooked in a “speed oven” for 90 seconds. I’m sure that serious pizza enthusiasts everywhere are rolling their eyes in disgust, but try to keep in mind this is fast-food. — My review is coming soon.

UPDATE 5/22: The review is now posted. Thank you.

The nice folks at Dunkin Donuts have contacted me about a new promotion featuring Free Iced-Coffee. Here’s the details: “Dunkin’s Donuts, the world’s largest coffee and baked goods chain, is celebrating FREE ICED COFFEE DAY from 10a.m. to 10p.m. on Thursday, May 15th. Customers can walk into any participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant throughout the country and receive a free 16 oz. cup of Dunkin’ Donuts’ premium regular, Berry Berry Iced Coffee, which combines the seasonal tastes of blueberry and raspberry with Dunkin’ Donuts’ award-winning coffee, or many other delicious flavors.

On Free Iced Coffee Day, Dunkin’ Donuts is honoring those who serve by donating $80,000 to the National Police Athletic League (NPAL) to support its Youth Leadership Program. The NPAL program supports more than 2 million underprivileged youth through education, sports and leadership opportunities, and stresses community service and peer leadership in more than 350 chapters across the country.”

Editor’s Note: For those not paying attention, this is the same day that McDonald’s is giving away Free Chicken Sandwiches, so if you time things correctly you can easily have two freebies in one day. God Bless America!

Dunkin Donuts announced today that it’s giving customers a Free Donut with the purchase of any size coffee on Tax Day. Considering that millions of people already drink their brand of coffee on a regular basis, I suspect this will be a very successful promotion. You can bet there’s going to be lots of free donuts handed out on the 15th of April. In case you didn’t know, Dunkin Donuts is recognized as the world’s largest coffee and baked goods chain. How popular is their coffee? In 2007, they sold more than one billion cups (hot and iced-coffee). In addition to it’s donuts and premium coffee, they recently launched an Oven Toasted menu, featuring items like flat-bread sandwiches and personal pizzas.