Food & Beverage

Bad Daddy's Burger Bar Refreshes Core Menu on Oct. 28

Bad Daddy's Burger Bar refreshes its core menu Oct. 28 with a build-your-own Triple Threat Sampler, two ahi tuna bowls, Hot Honey Lemon Pepper Wings and a returning soup.

Bad Daddy’s Introduces New Sampler, Bowls, and Wing Flavor
Bad Daddy’s Introduces New Sampler, Bowls, and Wing Flavor — Pexels / pixabay

Bad Daddy's Burger Bar will refresh its core menu on Oct. 28, adding a build-your-own sampler, two ahi tuna dishes and a new wing flavor. The update also brings back a returning soup by what the chain calls popular demand.

The move touches several menu categories at once. That breadth matters for a burger bar leaning on shareable appetizers and comfort food to drive check averages, though the company released no pricing, unit count or sales figures alongside the announcement.

What is on the new menu?

The centerpiece is the Triple Threat Sampler. Guests pick one dip, one chicken option and one crispy favorite, all served with seasoned tortilla chips. The structure resembles a classic sampler-platter play, but with a choose-your-own format that lets operators run it from existing prep stations.

The options break down as follows:

  • Dips: housemade queso, jalapeño cheddar or salsa
  • Chicken: four crispy wings with a choice of wing sauce, or three hand-breaded crispy tenders
  • Crispy favorite: two cheeseburger egg rolls with housemade burger sauce, two lightly fried deviled eggs with Thai chili sauce, or two fried mozzarella medallions with housemade marinara

Nearly every component carries a housemade or hand-breaded descriptor. That signals labor intensity in exchange for the scratch-made positioning the brand markets.

What did the culinary director say?

John Masterson, culinary director for Bad Daddy's Burger Bar, framed the sampler and the wider refresh as deliberate kitchen work.

"Everything we put on the menu starts with a chef-driven approach and a focus on making as much as we can from scratch," Masterson said. "With the Triple Threat Sampler, we wanted to create a combination that feels bold and indulgent, but still thoughtfully built from one bite to the next."

He said the same approach carries through the ahi tuna dishes, the new wing flavor and the returning Loaded Tater Tot Soup, adding: "There's a little something for whatever you're craving."

Why tuna bowls at a burger bar?

The two ahi tuna dishes push the menu beyond burgers and fried snacks. Ahi Poke Crunch pairs diced ahi tuna with pineapple pico and avocado in a crispy wonton bowl over sriracha slaw, finished with sesame seeds and poke sauce.

The Seared Ahi Tuna Bowl layers seared ahi tuna over rice and cabbage slaw with pineapple pico, shredded carrots, edamame, pickled radishes and crispy wonton strips, topped with poke sauce and sesame seeds. Raw and seared tuna both carry premium protein costs and strict sourcing requirements, so these items likely anchor the higher end of the refreshed menu. The company did not disclose suppliers or prices.

What returns and what heats up?

The new wing flavor is Hot Honey Lemon Pepper Wings, which the chain describes as sweet heat balanced with zesty lemon-pepper seasoning. Hot honey has spread across fast casual and casual dining menus for several years, and this addition tracks that trend rather than starting one.

Loaded Tater Tot Soup returns to the menu. The creamy potato soup comes topped with shredded cheddar, crispy tater tots, applewood-smoked bacon and green onions.

Guests can find locations or order online at baddaddysburgerbar.com, and the chain promotes the additions on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok under @baddaddys.

The Oct. 28 rollout gives the chain a full plate of shareables, premium bowls and comfort fare heading into the higher-volume fall season. Whether the scratch-heavy build holds under delivery and takeout volume remains untested, and the company has not said how long the items will stay on the core menu.

menu-refreshmenu-engineeringscratch-cookingfast-casual

More from Marcus Bennett

Marcus Bennett

Show full bio

Market editor covering technology and product news in Restaurant and hotel operations at The Pass Brief.

541 articles

Pairings

« Previous article