This roundup of Fort Worth restaurant news has an abundance of new restaurant openings, some new menus, news about brunch and news about beer, and whoa, pumpkin references. Isn't it too soon for the pumpkin word to arrive?

Here's what's happening in Fort Worth dining news:

Cava, a growing Mediterranean-focused fast casual restaurant concept, just opened its doors at Waterside in a former Zoe's Kitchen. This is the chain's first Fort Worth location. The restaurant is known for its healthy customizable meals, prepared with fresh, nutritious ingredients in-house every day. The menu includes greens-and-grains bowls, salads, pitas, and a mini pita plate for kids. It's at 5917 Convair Dr. #309 (next door to Tricky Fish), open daily, 10:45 am-10 pm.

Seven Mile Café is first out of the gate with pumpkin spice menu items. Beginning August 18, they're offering Pumpkin Spice Pancakes with cream cheese icing, pumpkin puree, and pecans (can be made vegan); as well as two PS drinks: a Pumpkin Spice Latte (made with Stumptown's Hair Bender Espresso) and a boozy Spiked Pumpkin NOLA (pumpkin syrup, cold brew coffee, organic milk, Baileys Irish Cream, and Kahlua). Available at the north Fort Worth and Keller locations.

Dunkin' is also launching its pumpkin-y fall menu with new Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and Pumpkin Spice Signature Latte, as well as Pumpkin Flavored Coffees, Doughnut, Muffin, and Munchkins Donut Hole Treats. The fall menu will be available August 18.

Fireside Pies has a new dessert pizza, the Texas Peach Pie, with a cheesecake batter, peaches, brown sugar reduction, and oatmeal pecan streusel, for $12. for dine in or carry out. To place a takeout order, visit the Fireside Pies online ordering platform or call your nearby location.

Meso Maya is celebrating its 10th anniversary from August 19-29 with pan-seared halibut topped with crab, charred avocado and rice, plus a Margarita Flight. Read all about Fort Worth's hot cocktail "flight" trend in this story.

Torchy's Tacos is celebrating its 15th anniversary with a prizes including a year of tacos, a VIP trip to Austin, and a catered taco party for 25. To be eligible, you need to sign up online to their new loyalty program by August 31. They're also serving taco and drink specials for August that include a chicken breast taco with spinach, corn, green chiles, and cheddar cheese for $6, and the Magic Dragon cocktail with tequila, Cointreau, and sweet & sour flavored with dragon fruit.

Mr. Gatti’s Pizza has bottled its famous buttermilk Ranch Dressing after more than 50 years of customer requests, they say. Mr. Gatti’s Famous Ranch Dressing & Dip, packaged in 16-ounce recyclable bottles, is now available for sale at select Mr. Gatti’s locations for $8.99 and online. Look for it in grocery stores by the end of the year.

Impossible has a new Sausage Made From Plants, in two flavors: Savory and Spicy. Impossible Sausage tastes and cooks like ground pork sausage: make it into a patty, slice it up, or crumble it into your favorite dish.

Cheesecake Factory has two new items on its famed SkinnyLicious menu: The Impossible Burger with lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, and mayonnaise on a toasted bun; and fried chicken breast sandwich with lettuce, pickles, onions, in regular (ranch dressing) or spicy (sriracha mayo). Both are served with a green salad.

Hopdoddy is shifting to the Beyond Burger as their plant-based burger offering. It's the newest iteration of the Beyond Burger, which more closely resembles the Impossible burger, which Hopdoddy was practically the first in the country to offer; they made kind of a big deal about it. Maybe they didn't like that Cheesecake Factory has the Impossible now. They also have a new Burger of the Month for August: Beyond a Reuben, with a Beyond burger topped with "pastrami-spiced mushrooms," Gruyere cheese, Dijon mustard, sauerkraut, pickles, and Russian dressing on a caraway-seeded bun.

Twin Peaks is opening two new locations in the fall: 12750 South Fwy. in Burleson, and 3120 S. Hwy. 161 in Grand Prairie.

Perry's Steakhouse & Grille has wine and cocktail specials for August that include Lavender Bee Mine with Empress 1908 Gin, Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao, lemon juice, and lavender-honey water for $15; Perry's Reserve Big Red Blend, a complex, high-end, small-production Napa Valley wine for $25 for a 5-ounce pour or $35 for a 7.5-ounce pour; and Mini Martini Special of The Month tasting flight of three cocktails in 2.5-ounce pours for $15: Cucumber Blueberry Martini, The Strait Paloma with George Strait's tequila, and Pineapple Ginger Mojito.

La Madeleine French Bakery & Café has opened its first new Express model locations in three Walmart stores: Cleburne, Garland, and Rowlett. Express locations range from 980 to 2,209 square-feet, and offer grab and go or dine-in with offerings including Chicken Caesar Salad, Tomato Basil Soup, pizzas created specifically for the Express locations and a small retail area with soups, jams and sauces.

Zalat Pizza is opening their first Irving location on August 23 at 4835 N. O'Connor Rd. #136, although it's not really a location so much as a takeout depot, ordered via Zalat's website or delivery via third party apps.

Shell Shack has four new dishes: Mahi-Mahi Wrap in a spinach herb wrap, Mahi-Mahi Plate with steamed white rice and broccoli, pasta with Alfredo sauce, and deep-fried apple pies.

7-Eleven has two seasonal summertime hot beverages: coconut coffee, brewed with 100 percent arabica beans, with toasty light-roasted notes and a sweet, creamy, and coconut flavor and decadent s'mores hot chocolate with vanilla, marshmallow, and golden graham flavors all tied up in a rich, chocolatey beverage fit for any fireside.

Omni Las Colinas Hotel in Irving has a new executive chef: Isaac Pacheco will oversee all food and beverage at the luxury hotel, including LRH Restaurant & Bar, OTC Over The Counter, The Lakehouse Waterfront Lounge, and Flossie's, as well as banquets, catering, and in-room dining. Pacheco most recently served as Executive Sous Chef at Omni Houston Hotel, and has worked at properties in Puerto Rico, Miami, and Hawaii, so after places like that, he is surely super glad to be in DFW.

Starbucks is allowing reusable cups again. They stopped during the pandemic and have a new procedure to avoid cooties that involves you putting your cup into one of their cups so that they can avoid cross contamination. As far back as a year ago, it was determined that COVID is inactivated when it comes into contact with detergent, which means reusable containers are safe if they are washed.

Fuzzy's Taco Shop received two awards from the 2021 Franchise Business Review Franchise Satisfaction Awards in the Top Food and Best Franchise Culture categories.