Piada Italian Street Food Brings Back Mac & Cheese With New Italian Hot Honey Twist

Columbus, OH, September 15, 2026 – Piada Italian Street Food, a leading fast-casual Italian restaurant concept, is bringing back one of its most requested menu items with an all new Italian-inspired twist. Beginning September 15, guests can enjoy Italian Hot Honey Mac & Cheese, featuring Piada’s signature three-cheese Mac & Cheese topped with crispy chicken coated in the brand’s new proprietary Hot Honey Crisp and finished with grated Parmesan.

The launch marks the return of a longtime Piada guest favorite while introducing a new flavor innovation designed to go far beyond Mac & Cheese. Piada’s Hot Honey Crisp combines sun-dried tomato and chili crisp with a sweet-and-spicy hot honey flavor profile, creating a uniquely Italian take on one of the restaurant industry’s most popular flavor trends.

Starting September 15, Hot Honey Crisp can be added to any protein option, giving guests the opportunity to customize their favorite Piada pastas, salads and Piadas with an extra layer of sweet heat and savory crunch.

“Mac & Cheese has become one of those menu items our guests genuinely look forward to every year, so we wanted to give them a new reason to get excited about its return,” said Dawn McClung, Culinary Innovation Manager at Piada. “Hot honey has that craveable balance of sweet and heat that people love, but we wanted to make it distinctly Piada. By bringing sun-dried tomato into our chili crisp, we created something with a savory, Italian-inspired depth that pairs incredibly well with our crispy chicken and creamy Mac & Cheese, but is versatile enough to bring a completely different flavor experience to favorites across our menu.”

Piada’s Mac & Cheese is made with cavatappi pasta, selected for its ridges and twists that capture cheese sauce in every bite, and a rich three-cheese blend of Parmesan, mild white cheddar, sharp white cheddar and Parmesan Romano.

Guests can enjoy Mac & Cheese in several ways this fall, including:

• Italian Hot Honey Mac & Cheese – $13.60: Three-cheese Mac & Cheese topped with crispy chicken coated in Hot Honey Crisp and finished with grated Parmesan.
• Create Your Own Mac – $10.90: Piada’s classic Mac & Cheese customizable with proteins and toppings.
• Kids Mac – $7.00: A kid-friendly serving of Piada’s three-cheese Mac & Cheese.
• Side Mac – $5.00: A side portion of the returning favorite.
• Mac & Cheese Catering – $40: A catering-sized portion for groups and gatherings.

Piada is also bringing Mac & Cheese to the family dinner table with a new $48 Mac & Cheese Family Meal, designed to feed a family of four. The offering expands Piada’s recently launched Family Meals platform, giving families another easy, craveable option for dinner together.

“Mac & Cheese has always had this unique ability to appeal to everyone—from kids who want something familiar to adults looking for an indulgent comfort food,” added McClung. “This year, we’re giving guests both: the classic Mac & Cheese they’ve been asking us to bring back and a completely new way to experience it with Italian Hot Honey.”

Mac & Cheese and Italian Hot Honey Mac & Cheese will be available for a limited time through early 2027 at participating Piada restaurants, online and through the Piada One app. Hot Honey Crisp will also be available as an add-on to proteins across Piada’s menu beginning September 15.

For more information and to find a location near you, visit mypiada.com or download the Piada One app.

To celebrate the return, Piada One members can earn the Golden Mac & Cheese Badge when they order Mac & Cheese between September 15–22, along with 100 bonus Piada Rewards points. After September 22, guests can continue earning the regular Mac & Cheese Badge when they order Mac & Cheese throughout the duration of the limited-time offering.