Yes, most of the country is still sweltering under the summer sun, but that doesn’t mean diehard autumn fans aren’t craving their yearly pumpkin fix.
The latest Yelp data proves that the fall flavor is already rocking the Internet. In fact, the action accelerated in July, with searches for pumpkin spice latte up 227% and pumpkin up 118% between the first and last week of that month.
No doubt one of the top items to come up in those early searches was 7-Eleven’s new Pumpkin Spice Slurpee, which launched August 1 at select stores in New York, California, Texas and Ohio. The convenience store's signature frozen drink boasts the flavors of pumpkin and cinnamon spice swirled together.
On the coffee side, impatient fans can head to 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes locations right now for a Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, Pumpkin Spice Coffee or Pumpkin Spice Latte. Last year, the brands released pumpkin spice coffee and latte on August 1, and they are the PSL early birds this year, too.
“7-Eleven, Inc. customers are big fans of pumpkin spice, which is why the brand brings out the pumpkins early,” the company said in a statement. “This year, the brand also released a new Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew in addition to the first-ever Pumpkin Spice Slurpee drink to experiment with fun seasonal beverage options outside of coffee.”
7-Eleven introduced a Pumpkin Spice Slurpee on August 1. | Photo courtesy of 7-Eleven.
Like Yelp, SpotOn, a restaurant POS provider, also tracked a spike in pumpkin in July, with 176 food and drink items added to menus between July 7 and 13 alone. Baked goods and breakfast items are quite popular, ranging from the more obvious (muffins, cinnamon rolls and pancakes) to the more unique, such as Pumpkin French Toast at Wildflower Café in Clearwater, Florida, and a Pumpkin Spice Smoothie Bowl at Nona Nutrition in Mequon, Wisconsin.
Not surprisingly, there’s also a wide array of beverages, including the usual pumpkin cold brews, coffees and lattes, but teas are getting pumped up with pumpkin flavor as well. SpotOn cites Pumpkin Pie Chai Tea at The Rhu in Asheville and Pumpkin Thai Monster Boba at Pacific Rim Foods in Portage, Michigan.
Although not yet available to eat, sip or lick, Denny’s, Smoothie King and Carvel all announced their pumpkin lineups the first week of August.
Pumpkin Pecan Pancakes return to Denny's August 21. | Photo courtesy of Denny's.
Family-dining chain Denny’s is bringing back its Pumpkin Pecan Pancakes on August 21. The buttermilk pancakes are cooked with real pumpkin puree and glazed pecans, then topped with pecan pie sauce. Denny’s has sold more than 1 million of these seasonal favorites since their debut in 2016.
Five pumpkin-themed smoothies will be available at Smoothie King later this month. | Photo courtesy of Smoothie King.
Smoothie King is returning its line of pumpkin smoothies towards the end of the month, starting August 20 for rewards members and August 27 for other customers. The five limited-time variations include the protein-packed Pumpkin Power Meal; Pumpkin Slim-N-Trim for under 250 calories; plant-based Pumpkin Vegan made with oat milk; Pumpkin Coffee High protein with a shot of cold brew or espresso; and Pumpkin D-Lite blended with frozen yogurt. All are made with organic pumpkin puree.
Carvel launches a selection of Pumpkin Cheesecake ice cream treats on August 15. | Photo courtesy of Carvel.
Pumpkin cheesecake is the flavor profile Carvel is promoting in six treats launching August 15. There’s a Pumpkin Cheesecake Shake, Soft Serve, Sundae, Flying Saucer ice cream sandwich, Ice Cream Pop and scoopable hard Ice Cream. These 2023 favorites are being “reintroduced” due to popular demand, according to a press release.
Starbucks and Dunkin’ go retail first
While other chains have shared their pumpkin intel, mega-coffee players Starbucks and Dunkin’ have so far stayed pretty quiet about PSL release dates. But social channels are abuzz with leaks. In an Instagram post from Markie_Devo, who calls himself the “Willy Wonka of Brooklyn,” the grand-daddy of PSLs is supposed to drop at Starbucks on August 22. There will be other pumpkin beverages, too, according to the post, including Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai, as well as a Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin.
According to an email to Restaurant Business from an official Starbucks spokesperson, the Seattle-based coffee giant is not quite ready to leave behind its summer lineup of berry refreshers “but customers can enjoy Starbucks flavors of fall down the grocery aisle,” including non-dairy creamers, bottled cold brews and Pumpkin Spice Flavored Coffee by Nespresso for Vertuo. Dunkin’ is also selling its Pumpkin Munchkin Creamer at retail for the third year.
On the restaurant side, Dunkin’ declined to share any PSL info, but the brand’s menu lineup was revealed on the same Instagram account. It’s slated to launch on August 28—12 days later than its 2023 date of August 16—with hot and iced Pumpkin Spice Latte on the list, along with pumpkin donuts and muffins. But apple and almond also play starring roles.
Dunkin' introduced a spiked pumpkin spice latte canned cocktail at retail.| Photo courtesy of Dunkin'
What Dunkin’ did announce earlier this week is the debut of a boozy Pumpkin Spice Iced Latte on grocery store shelves in 27 states. The 6% ABV canned cocktail combines real coffee with malt alcohol, non-dairy creamer and flavors of vanilla, pumpkin and sweet spices.
SpotOn is also tracking more pumpkin spice cocktails on restaurant menus. A Pumpkin Spice Espresso Martini seems like a natural, and it’s available at the Soho Diner in New York City. There’s also a Pumpkin Mule at Sports 365 Bar & Grill in Cheektowaga, N.Y. and a Pumpkin Bomb at CK’s Tavern and Grill in Phoenix.
“Overall, we are seeing restaurants getting even more creative with their pumpkin offerings this year, signaling operators’ desire to attract consumers who have pulled back on spending in recent months,” said a SpotOn spokesperson. “Restaurants are introducing unique items like pumpkin vinaigrette, pumpkin spice Moscow mules and pumpkin cinnamon macarons.”
With reports that the pumpkin spice market is forecast to be worth $2.4 billion by 2031, according to Coherent Market Insights, operators are banking on an early PSL season to drive additional revenue, SpotOn believes.
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