ACROSS AMERICA — If your guilty pleasure is fast food but you’re in a funk because everything is the same old, same old, several chains have perked up their menus this April with items that may be permanent fixtures on the menu and other seasonal offerings that will disappear soon.

Some of them are particularly insprired. Sonic, for example, came up with a dark-as-night slushie that debuted on April 8, the day of the total solar eclipse. It’s on the menu until early May.

Below are 19 fast food restaurants with new tastes on the menu. Availability is subject to change and may be limited at some locations.

The regional chicken chain is bringing back its Bo Sauce for diehard fans who want to procure it by the bottle. The Honey Mustard and BBQ sauces will be sold at the chain’s 1,500 stores in the Southeast, and also at select retailers, including Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Ingles, KJ’s, Lowes Food and Piggly Wiggly.

2. Burger King

Burger King added a Frozen Cotton Candy beverage the color of the sky. A balance of blue raspberry and cotton candy flavor, it can be elevated with cold foam cloud topping for an additional charge. This drink is available for a limited time.

In honor of its 90th birthday, the East Coast ice cream chain Carvel is putting a new twist on the Orange Dreamy Creamy flavor it offered in the 1970s. The nostalgic combination of orange and vanilla includes six limited-time offerings:

• Orange Dreamy Creamy Soft Serve, a creamy orange soft serve;
• Orange Dreamy Creamy Scooped, Orange Dreamy Creamy soft serve with Golden Oreos and orange marshmallow;
• Orange Creamy Dreamy Shake, Orange Dreamy Creamy soft serve hand-spun to a creamy, sippable consistency;
• Orange Dreamy Creamy Flying Saucer, Orange Dreamy Creamy soft serve sandwiched between two Flying Saucer chocolate wafers;
• Orange Dreamy Creamy Ice Cream Pop, an Orange Dreamy Creamy soft serve pop dipped in white chocolate bonnet;
• Orange Dreamy Creamy Sundae Dasher, layers of Orange Dreamy Creamy soft serve, orange marshmallow and Golden Oreos topped with whipped cream and more orange marshmallow (available only online through the Carvel website or a delivery service).

4. Chick-fil-A

The chain added four new Cherry Berry drinks to its menu in April for a limited time. They are:

• Cherry Berry Frosted Lemonade, a classic lemonade blended with the chain’s vanilla-flavored Icedream dessert with cherry, blueberry and cranberry flavorings;
• Cherry Berry Sunjoy, a combination of lemonade and iced tea infused with cherry, blueberry and cranberry flavorings;
• Cherry Berry Lemonade, a classic lemonade with cherry, blueberry, and cranberry flavorings;
• Cherry Berry Iced Tea, a classic tea mixed with cherry, blueberry, and cranberry flavors; and

Dairy Queen debuted its Summer Blizzard Treat menu on April 1. New flavors include:

• Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Party Blizzard Treat, soft serve filled with chunks of chocolate chip cookie dough, swirls of creamy peanut butter topping and peanut brittle crunch with sprinkles;
• Picnic Peach Cobbler Blizzard Treat, soft serve blended with peach topping and buttery cobbler pieces; and
• Ultimate Cookie Blizzard Treat, soft serve with chunks of Oreo, Chips Ahoy! And Nutter Butter cookies.

Returning favorites are Cotton Candy, Frosted Animal Cookie and Brownie Batter Blizzard treats.

The pancake house is bringing back its Pepsi Maple Syrup Cola, also available in an ice cream float at participating restaurants. April’s pancake of the month offering is a stack of Cinnamon Apple Pecan Pancakes, four buttermilk pancakes topped with cinnamon apples, dulce de leche sauce, pecans and whipped topping.

Also new to the menu:

• Classic Chicken Sandwich, a grilled or crispy chicken breast with bacon, lettuce, tomato, four-cheese blend, avocado and buttermilk ranch on a grilled roll;
• Kids French Toast Sticks, sliced French toast with a side of fresh strawberries, banana and chocolate dipping sauce (for kids 12 and under);
• Watermelon Splasher, a blend of lemonade, lemon-lime soda and watermelon syrup topped with fresh blueberries and watermelon;
• House-Made Milkshakes, either Cinn-A-Stack and Cupcake Milkshakes, that build on classic pancake flavors; and
• Silk Oatmeal Cookie Oat Creamer.

The chain also announced a Sonic the Hedgehog promotion with six new themed menu items.

7. KFC

The iconic chain expanded its Kentucky Fried Chicken Nuggets offerings with a new Saucy Nugget line that includes Honey Sriracha, Korean BBQ, Sticky Chicky Sweet ’n’ Sour Sauce, Nashville Hot and Georgia Gold.

KFC also expanded its dessert menu with Apple Pie Poppers, mini treats that have a buttery, flaky crust and apple pie filling, served warm.

Budget-friendly Little Caesars introduced its Crazy Puffs in March, but the bite-sized mini pizzas are a favorite among fast food fans expressing their joy on social media. These handheld pizzas are wrapped in a crust cup with classic red sauce, cheese and optional pepperoni, drizzled with garlic butter.

9. McDonald’s

The chain has a new menu item that’s not just edible but also a graphic novel. WcDonald’s, a dipping sauce for McNuggets with garlic, ginger, soy and chili. The iconic hamburger chain is also bringing back its strawberry and creme pie filled with strawberry jam.

The chain announced last month it would add Krispy Kreme doughnuts to menus nationwide later this year.

10. Noodles & Company

Fans of the chain’s Steak Stroganoff have been seen. It has returned to the Noodles & Company menu for a limited time. The dish includes egg noodles in a mushroom sherry cream sauce, fresh herbs, cracked pepper, roasted mushrooms, marinated steak, Parmesan cheese and Italian parsley.

11. Panera

Panera embarked on the “biggest menu transformation in brand history” on April 4 with the addition of nine new menu items and “recipe enhancements” to 12 existing salads and sandwiches. The chain said in a news release that its menu had grown unwieldy in recent years as it tried to attract dinner guests, but it is getting back to the basics with a menu geared toward people looking for less-expensive food. Several items are $10 or less, the chain said.

The new menu items four new sandwiches, four new salads and Bacon Mac & Cheese. Panera didn’t say what items it is eliminating.

12. Shipley Do-Nuts

The doughnut and kolache chain Shipley Do-Nuts is the latest chain to cash in on Oreos with two new varieties of Cookies N’ Dream Do-Nuts, one a classic hexagon-shaped yeast doughnut topped with white icing and Oreo pieces and the other a hand-filled original creme doughnut iced and topped with cookie pieces.

13. Sonic

The solar eclipse-inspired Blackout Slush Float will remain on Sonic’s menu through May 5. The sweet, cotton candy and dragon fruit favored all-black slush is topped with white soft-serve ice cream and blue and purple galaxy-themed sprinkles.

14. Starbucks

Lavender-flavored beverages are the latest thing at Starbucks, which is featuring Iced Lavender Cream Oatmilk Matcha, Iced Lavender Oatmilk Latte and the caffeine-free Iced Lavender Oatmilk Chill, the latter a creamy oat milk with notes of lavender flavor that's shaken with ice and a scoop of dragonfruit. Starbucks rolled out its lavender line in March and added to it this month, and it’s available for a limited time.

15. Subway

The chain is adding a new line of wraps using a soft, bubbly flatbread, its first new bread option in three years. The four options in the lineup:

• Homestyle Chicken Salad, made from rotisserie-style poultry and mayo, topped with lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, cucumber and red onion;
• Honey Mustard Chicken, rotisserie-style chicken topped with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, Monterey cheddar cheese and sweet honey mustard sauce;
• Turkey, Bacon & Avocado, oven-roasted turkey, bacon, and smashed avocado topped with tomatoes, lettuce, red onions, Monterey cheddar cheese and peppercorn ranch sauce; and
• Cali Caprese, BelGioioso fresh mozzarella and avocado topped with lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, roasted garlic aioli, and Subway's MVP Parmesan Vinaigrette.

The Tax Break, a new margarita from TGI Fridays, features 1800 Silver Tequila mixed with citrus, agave, strawberry, and passion fruit, and is served with a shot of Hennessy V.S. on the side to soften the blow. The cocktail is only available until April 30.

17. Taco Bell

Taco Bell has introduced a new Catina Chicken lineup that features slow-roasted chicken, red cabbage, pico de gallo and a packet of avocado sauce. Catina Chicken is available as a quesadilla, crispy or soft taco, burrito and a bowl. Many of them are available as combo meals, too.

18. Taco John’s

The Mexican food chain has added Taco Pizza to its lineup for a limited time. The 10-inch corn and wheat flour crust is topped with refried beans, seasoned beef, a four-cheese blend, Fiesta sauce and crunchy tortilla strips. The baked pizza is finished with shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes.

19. Whataburger

Available until June 30, Whataburger’s new Bacon Steakhouse Double features two beef patties, two slices of melted aged cheddar cheese, smoky bacon, crispy fried onions and a tangy steak sauce on a toasted bun. It’s available in a junior size, too.

The chain also is keeping its WhataWings on the menu until the end of the year. Launched as a limited menu offering, tossed in a choice of Honey BBQ, Buffalo Sauce, Honey Butter sauce or Sweet & Spicy Sauce.