1. McDonald’s drops margarine for butter… Looks like Mickey D’s is finally catching on to the fact that we want to eat real food—not French fries with 19 ingredients or unconvincing “rib” sandwiches. So it’s no surprise that when the chain started frying Egg McMuffins in butter instead of liquid margarine, sales of the breakfast item increased by double digits, according to Business Insider.
  2. …and tries out sweet potato fries. In late October, McDonald’s announced the arrival of sweet potato fries in certain Texas locations. But don’t get too excited: While sweet potato fries are arguably more delicious than their plain tater peers, we’ve got to bear the bad news that they’re not actually healthier at all. MORE: Bar Food Makeover: The Totally Loaded Sweet Potato
  3. Taco Bell creates a mostly pointless emoji generator. The release of the long-awaited taco emoji made waves across the Internet, and Taco Bell took notice. Now, when you tweet the chain’s official account with a taco emoji plus any other emoji you like, you’ll receive a reply displaying a hybrid of the two, direct from the fun but largely unnecessary Taco Emoji Engine.
  4. Panera launches gluten-free bread. Bread is the backbone of Panera’s menu, and for a long time, the company’s head baker was opposed to gluten-free loaves—after all, gluten is a crucial protein that gives bread proper chew and structure. But faced with the rapid growth of the gluten-free industry, the chain decided to change its tune, developing a gluten-free rosemary focaccia roll made from sprouted grains. It hits stores nationwide in January 2016. (You should also try one of their pumpkin spice lattes.) MORE: The 7 Best Fast Food Chains For Real Food
  5. Subway’s nixing antibiotics. That foot-long sub is about to get a little bit better for you: Subway announced just a few weeks ago that it will source poultry products raised without antibiotics, following the lead of major competitors like McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, Chipotle, and Panera. The changes will take effect across all locations in March 2016.
  6. Pizza Hut invents the three-decker pizza box. On the less-healthy side of the tracks, we find Pizza Hut and its egregious new Triple Treat Box, a limited-time holiday offering that basically acts like a bunk bed for pizzas (plus breadsticks and a giant cookie). MORE: The Pizza You Can Enjoy Even When You’re Eating Clean
  7. Wendy’s tests the quinoa waters. Protein is the macronutrient of the moment, and Wendy’s has found a way to stuff 39 g of it into its new Power Mediterranean Salad, currently available at select locations in Ohio, Kansas, and North Carolina. In a world where salads often go nutritionally awry, we’re impressed that all that protein comes from whole foods like chicken, feta cheese, hummus, chickpeas, and a quinoa blend. Sadly, it also comes with 18 g of sugar.