Jul. 8—From anniversary deals to seasonal offerings, there is plenty to enjoy from the restaurant scene this summer.

Krispy Kreme is celebrating its 85th anniversary with a special offer and a chance to win free doughnuts for a year.

In honor of its founding in 1937 by New Orleans chef Vernon Rudolph, the doughnut chain will give away 8,500 years' worth of free doughnuts Monday through Thursday.

That will be achieved by giving 8,500 random customers a "birthday card" that will be worth one dozen glazed doughnuts each month through June next year, a promotion that will amount to 8,500 years' worth of doughnuts.

Krispy Kreme also plans to sell a dozen glazed doughnuts for 85 cents with purchase of a dozen at regular price on July 15.

The giveaway is the latest in a growing line of marketing efforts from Krispy Kreme recently, as the chain works to give people more reason to try its doughnuts.

This is the latest giveaway for the creative chain that is also selling a dozen doughnuts for the average price of a gallon of gas every Wednesday. Another summer promotion consists of a free doughnut every time the location lights its "Hot Light" announcing the availability of hot doughnuts.

Speaking of anniversary gifts, Popeyes has brought back a fan favorite in honor of its 50th anniversary.

For a limited time, Cajun rice has returned as a side option at the Louisiana-based chain. The dish was pulled from the menu last year to the dismay of customers across the country.

In a news release, Popeyes said it "recognized the flurry of emotions it caused among disheartened fans."

No word when the rice will exit the menu again so enjoy it while you can.

Also for its golden anniversary, the chain is offering five pieces of crispy chicken for just $6.99 and serving a new dessert: strawberry cheesecake fried pie, a strawberry fried treat filled with a creamy cheesecake and graham cracker filling.

And Pieology will honor National Blueberry Day (which was Friday) through July 15, offering a special deal on David's Lemon Blueberry Cookies, which are enhanced by natural lemon and dried wild blueberries. The offer is good for two cookies for $5.25 both in-store and online.

Summer salad, bowls at Rubio's

Rubio's Coastal Grill is celebrating summer with new bowls and salads. Available now, diners can enjoy three new options: the al pastor shrimp bowl, Baja Caesar salad and chipotle honey Argentinian shrimp bowl.

"Every flavor-packed, bold ingredient offers the perfect balance of feel-good and flavor," said Rubio's co-founder Ralph Rubio. "We created each of these dishes to be both cravable and full of protein, powering up summer meals without the tortilla."

The al pastor bowl features marinated and grilled sustainable shrimp, citrus rice, crisp romaine, black beans, roasted pineapple, handmade guacamole and pickled red onion topped with a chile-spiced al pastor sauce.

Helping the salad stand out is a roasted poblano Caesar dressing that tops the romaine along with sliced Hass avocado, pickled red onion, cotija and tortilla strips and your choice of protein.

Wild-caught, grilled red Argentinian shrimp is the star of the chipotle bowl, which also includes romaine, citrus rice and black beans topped with guacamole, cilantro/onion mix, creamy chipotle sauce, a signature chipotle honey sauce and pickled red onion.

Rubio's is located at 9200 Rosedale Highway, Suite 200.

Run with big 'dawgs'

Combining the portability of a hot dog and delicious crunch of fried chicken, Buffalo Wild Wings has a Frankenstein-worthy addition to its happy hour menu.

The new wild dawgs are billed as "the ultimate hot dog and chicken tender mashup," placing a hand-breaded chicken tender in a brioche bun and drizzling it with assorted sauces and toppings.

Keep summer exciting by launching happy hour and a brand-new menu item — bird dawgs.

The new offering is the ultimate hot dog and chicken tender mashup. Buffalo Wild Wings' latest creation is a hand-breaded chicken tender placed on a brioche bun and drizzled with sauces and toppings.

Diners can choose their own toppings to create a personalized bird dawg or opt for one of three special combos.

The loaded bird dawg is topped with New Belgium Fat Tire beer cheese, wild honey mustard and green onions. If you want your fries included inside, opt for the honey barbecue bird dawg, which is made with fries and Buffalo Wild Wings' honey barbecue sauce. Or go spicy with the Buffalo bird dawg, which is topped with ranch, napa slaw and Buffalo Wild Wings' medium Buffalo sauce.

These dawgs are discounted to $5 during the chain's new happy hour, which runs weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m. Other offers include $3 tall drafts of Wild Herd Kolsh by Goose Island, $5 strawberry margaritas, $6 Truly Berry Cherry Limeade and $3 chips and salsa.

The dish is the latest innovation from the chain that also brought us Doritos Flamin' Hot Nacho wings, tossed in a sauce based on Doritos' nacho cheese taste and a crunchy coating of Doritos Flamin' Hot Nacho tortilla chip crumbles.

Buffalo Wild Wings locations are at 3316 Coffee Road and 5677 Gosford Road.

Stefani Dias can be reached at 661-395-7488. Follow her on Twitter at @realstefanidias.