French toast drenched in popularity

French toast appears to be on a serious, syrupy roll.

Just weeks after General Mills announced it was bringing its iconic French Toast Crunch cereal back to supermarket shelves, the folks at Sonic are rolling out a new French Toaster Breakfast sandwich.

For both brands it's as much about appealing to the nostalgia factor of Baby Boomer taste buds as it is about getting the social media buzz of sweet-toothed Millennials.

For Sonic, it was a natural evolution beyond its popular French Toast Sticks, says Chef Claes Petersson. The key to the new French Toaster Breakfast Sandwich, he says, is "bringing sweet and savory flavors together."

The sandwich, which the Oklahoma, City-based fast-food chain rolls out this week, is made with scrambled eggs, melted cheese and a choice of sausage or bacon between two slices of French toast.

The French Toaster, which is a limited-time item, will be sold all day long at all 3,500 Sonic drive-in locations.

Last month General Mills executives, responding to social media requests, announced the company was bringing back French Toast Crunch, a maple-flavored cereal that debuted in 1995 but was discontinued domestically in 2006. (The cereal had remained in production in Canada, where it was more popular.)

French Toast Crunch will be available nationwide by the end of January.

Meanwhile, French toast also is making a comeback at some swanky New York restaurants, with one even stuffing it with goat's milk cheese and drizzling it with black-truffle fondue. The restaurant calls it a dinner appetizer.