I tried Chick-fil-A's new chicken-and-waffles menu. It's proof that the nostalgia trend isn't going anywhere.

I tried Chick-fil-A's new chicken-and-waffles menu, inspired by nostalgia.

The sandwiches were a fun twist on a classic Southern breakfast.

Erin McDowell/Business Insider Chick-fil-A is celebrating its 80th birthday by going all in on nostalgia.

Its new menu turns two classics — chicken and waffles and s'mores — into five limited-time items.

I tried all five, and the best gave chicken and waffles a spicy upgrade.

Nostalgia is one of the hottest fast-food trends of the year , with many chains leaning into the past to grab customers' attention.

Chick-fil-A has spent much of 2026 embracing that strategy, in honor of the chain's 80th anniversary.

At the top of the year, the chain declared it a year of "Newstalgia," introducing retro cups and packaging while making soda-fountain-inspired floats and Frosted Sodas permanent menu items.

Its latest limited-time menu takes the strategy a step further by combining two familiar American favorites: chicken and waffles and s'mores.

Launched nationwide on August 24, the lineup includes three versions of a chicken-and-waffles sandwich, served with bacon, honey butter, and syrup, as well as a S'mores Milkshake and S'mores Frosted Coffee.

"Chicken and waffles and s'mores are much-loved classics, and we challenged ourselves to bring those flavors to our menu in a playful and unexpected way," Allison Duncan, Chick-fil-A's director of menu and packaging, said in a statement.

The menu quickly began attracting attention online, showing how effectively fast-food chains can turn comforting flavors into something that still feels novel and social-media-ready.

While online reviews of the new menu were largely positive — one TikTok creator said they waited over an hour in the drive-thru line just to try it — others said they found the waffles can get soggy even without the added syrup, and the overall flavor profile can border on too sweet .

I tried all five new items to see whether Chick-fil-A's latest nostalgia play lived up to the hype, and while I wouldn't order some of the items again, I walked away convinced that the trend isn't disappearing anytime soon.