AMC Esplanade 14 Set to Open as Dine-In Theater on September 7

Starting September 7, the AMC Esplanade 14 at 2515 E Camelback Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85016 will be reopening for business. When they closed for renovations they were just another AMC Theater in the valley, but now the AMC Esplanade will become the ninth theater in the country by AMC to have dine-in service. According to the press release, 9 of the 14 theaters will be known as "Fork & Screen" with amenities such as:

• Casual, in-theatre dining
• Upgraded, comfortable reserved seating
• Table-top dining
• Seat-side service and a personal call button that discreetly alerts a server
• An extensive menu including entrees such as quesadillas, burgers, flatbread pizzas, grilled sandwiches and house specialties as well as appetizers and desserts
• A wide variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic specialty drinks, beer and wine
• Fork & Screen guests must be at least 18 years old unless accompanied by a parent or guardian

The remaining five theaters are under the "Cinema Suites" banner, which includes:

• Premium, upscale in-theatre dining
• Reserved seating in luxury recliners
• Up to nine feet of row spacing
• A personal call button that discreetly alerts a server
• The entire Fork & Screen menu, plus Cinema Suites specialties such as Bleu Cheese Chips, Blackened Salmon and Lobster Ravioli served on unique swivel tables via seat-side service
• A wide variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic specialty drinks, beer and wine
• Cinema Suites guests must be at least 21 years old

In addition, located within the AMC Esplanade 14 will be MacGuffins, a bar and lounge area where AMC hopes people will hang out before and/or after the movie. MacGuffins will serve the entire theater menu, beer, wine and cocktails. It is noted that minors under 18 must be accompanied by an adult 21 years of age or older.

Wondering how much tickets and food will cost?

Ticket prices range from $6-15, depending on day of week and showtime, for the Dine-in Theatre experience. Menu items start at $6.59-8.99 for appetizers and adult entrees range from $8.59-11.99.

Schlotzsky's Brings Back 3 Favorites

From now until November 27, Schlotzsky's will be bringing back three sandwiches as part of their Angus Round Up line. According to Schlotzsky's, the Chipotle Guaca-Beefsky, the French Dipsky and the Bacon Beefy Smoke Cheezy have been favorites in the past and that's why this will be their third time on the menu. The ingredients and nutrition are as follows:

• Chipotle Guaca-Beefsky - Shaved Angus roast beef, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato and red onion, with Chipotle pesto and guacamole on a toasted jalapeño cheese bun. Small size: 697 calories, 35 grams of fat, 42 grams of protein.

• French Dipsky - Shaved Angus roast beef and melted mozzarella cheese on a toasted Sourdough bun, served with au jus dipping sauce. Small size: 552 calories, 22 grams of fat, 39 grams of protein.

• Bacon Beefy Smoke Cheezy - Shaved Angus roast beef, smoked cheddar cheese, bacon and Chipotle mayo on a toasted Sourdough bun. Small size: 758 calories, 42 grams of fat, 47 grams of protein.

Boston Market's New Menu Items & New Atmosphere

According to this press release by Boston Market, over 440 restaurants have been updated with the changes listed below and while the press release focuses on the Los Angeles area, it is said that all remaining restaurants, which the AZFoodDude assumes this to include all 16 Arizona restaurants, will be upgraded by the end of this month. Below is a list of changes and new menu items from the press release:

• New Menu Items
  • Gourmet Sides – Loaded Mashed Potatoes, Garlicky Lemon Savoy Spinach, Squash Casserole, Mediterranean Green Beans.
  • Hand-Carved Sandwiches – Pulled BBQ Chicken, Oven Roasted Turkey BLT and All-White Rotisserie Chicken Salad.
  • Hand-Tossed Entrée Salads – Mediterranean and Southwest Santa Fe – Each made with Rotisserie Chicken.
  • Sauces – Zesty Barbecue, Sweet Thai Chili Garlic and Honey Habanero were created to complement the signature Rotisserie Chicken.
  • More Healthy Options – Garlicky Lemon Savoy Spinach and Mediterranean Green Beans and have been added to the menu. In addition, Boston Market’s home style Rotisserie Chicken now has 20% less sodium and its poultry gravy has 50% less sodium and is Gluten Free.
• Food Presentation
  • Plateware – For guests dining in, Boston Market will serve the food on real plates and stainless steel knives, forks and spoons.
  • Hand-Carved-to-Order – Rotisserie Chicken and Oven Roasted Turkey, which have always been carved-to-order, are now carved in stations that are visible to guests.
  • Hand-Tossed-to-Order – Fresh entrée salads are no longer grab-and-go, but tossed fresh to order throughout the day.
• Guest Experience
  • Improved Employee Training Programs – Hospitality and food preparation.
  • Addition of Dining Room Ambassadors – Guests will notice a higher level of service designed to make the dining experience more pleasurable in this fast-casual concept.
  • New Uniforms – Amplifying the message of quality, the new Boston Market culinarians will wear Chef Whites. Other staff will wear new uniform shirts and bib aprons for a crisp, clean look.

Dairy Queen's September Blizzard of the Month - Caramel Brownie

For the month of September, Dairy Queen has made the Ooey Gooey Caramel Brownie Blizzard the Blizzard of the Month. The Ooey Gooey Caramel Brownie Blizzard is made of, "Gooey caramel, real fudge brownie pieces and choco chunks blended with creamy vanilla soft serve."

In terms of nutrition, this month's blizzard, in a medium size, comes in at 860 calories, 33 grams of fat (22 saturated), 96 grams of sugar and 16 grams of protein.

TCBY Makes 2 Flavors Permanent, Introduces 3 Limited Time Options

TCBY announced today the permanent addition of two well-received flavors over the past few months. Those two flavors are Red Velvet Cake and Caramel Supreme.

Joining Red Velvet Cake in the core line-up is Caramel Supreme soft serve for those who crave that distinct flavor invented by the Italians before the 18^th century. Both fro-yo flavors are 98 percent fat free, and qualify for the brand’s Super Fro-Yo classification

In terms of new flavors, TCBY will begin selling Pumpkin Pie yogurt starting tomorrow and going through the end of October. In addition, the two flavors of Eggnog and Gingerbread will be sold during the months of November and December. Each of the new flavors contain, "seven live active cultures, calcium, protein, fiber, and Vitamins A, C, and D," are made with real dairy yogurt and are said to be 98% fat free.

The vast majority of TCBY locations in Arizona seem to be at Chase Field and Sky Harbor Airport. However, for those of you that do not know, there are six shops in the state that are not at the stadium or the airport. Those locations include three in the Phoenix area and one each in Flagstaff, Tucson and Prescott. Check here for your nearest TCBY location.

Two New Items and a Possible Change Coming to the Arby's Menu

A recent article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has made some news about items and changes soon to hit the Arby's menu. One of the first things mentioned is the next in a ongoing line of Angus sandwiches, the Philly Cheesesteak. Set to hit stores in October, The Philly Cheesesteak is said to be priced at $4.99 in the article.

Another new product is described in the article as, "a sweet potato product." Could it be anything other than sweet potato fries?

In addition, a change coming to the menu involves relaunching the Market Fresh sandwiches with whole wheat flatbread. Does this mean the current bread will no longer be an option or the customer will have the chance to decide?

There is no reported time, as of yet, for the, "sweet potato product" or the flatbread versions of the Market Fresh sandwiches coming to a restaurant near you and me.

In case you missed it, earlier this month the AZFoodDude reported on Arby's two new chicken sandwiches.

Whataburger's New Green Chile Double Burger

Yesterday, Whataburger began selling their Green Chile Double Burger nationwide after great results during regional testing. Available until October 3rd, the Green Chile Double Burger and the Junior Green Chile Double Burger come with 2 beef patties, American Cheese, Monterey Jack Cheese, special seasoning and green chiles between two buns. What would the nutritional information be for these you ask?

Green Chile Double Burger: 1020 calories, 64 grams of fat (26 saturated), and 50 grams of protein.
Junior Green Chile Double Burger: 550 calories, 36 grams of fat (14 saturated), and 27 grams of protein.

This comes just days after Whataburger began offering their new Banana Shake and Banana Pie.

Subway's September $5 Featured Footlong - Turkey & Black Forest Ham

The past month has seen the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich as the $5 featured footlong. However, for September, Subway is going a bit more traditional with the Turkey Breast and Black Forest Ham Sandwich.

As you might expect, the sandwich comes with sliced turkey breast and sliced Black Forest Ham with your choice of veggies. Without cheese or any sauces like mayo, this sandwich is one of the healthiest on the menu, coming in at 580 calories, 8 grams of fat and 36 grams of protein for the footlong.