- According to data from Technomic, more restaurants and retailers are releasing their limited-time pumpkin items in August.
- Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, IHOP and Dunkin’ are among the chains rolling out their fall menus ahead of Labor Day.
- Some consumers may complain about the early seasonal launches, but research has convinced companies that it’s worth delaying the fall.
Starbucks Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte.
Source: Starbucks
In most parts of the United States, tree foliage is green and temperatures are warm. But for many restaurants and retailers, fall is already here.
Halloween candy and pumpkin spice lattes used to wait until after Labor Day to make their annual debut, signaling the start of fall several weeks before the season officially began. But in recent years, restaurants and retailers are launching their fall-themed food and beverages even earlier.
According to Technomic, which examined the 500 largest restaurant chains and the 40 largest convenience stores, the number of limited-time pumpkin launches more than doubled in August 2022 compared to 2019. November is still the most popular month to release limited-time pumpkin items for Thanksgiving, but August is gaining traction.
The continued fall in restaurants and retailers also coincides with pumpkin foods and drinks becoming increasingly popular as fall progresses. In 2019, restaurants and convenience stores launched 268 seasonal pumpkin-themed items. By 2022, the number will have more than doubled to 559 items.
Ken Harris, managing partner of Cadent Consulting Group, said three reasons drove the change.
“[The companies] “Make money on it, the stuff tastes good and they have consumer studies that say they have permission to push the boundaries of timing,” he told CNBC.
As schools pushed for an earlier start to the school year, Labor Day has lost some of its status as a seasonal indicator. With many families preparing for school in August anyway, fall seems to be just around the corner. Picking up Halloween candy during back-to-school shopping helps some parents kill two birds with one stone.
Starbucks is crediting the rise of pumpkin-themed drinks and food, which stems from the introduction of its pumpkin spice latte 20 years ago.
“Twenty years ago there was no pumpkin on the market. The only thing you could find on the grocery shelf was pumpkin puree,” said Peter Dukes, one of the original inventors of Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte, at a recent press event celebrating two decades of the drink.
The coffee chain is also bearing the brunt of the ire of consumers upset about the early launch of fall menus. Since 2018, Starbucks has been re-releasing the Pumpkin Spice Latte in August. The launch on August 24th this year coincides with 2021 as it marks the earliest launch of the fall menu to date.
“It is typically the end of August when our customers return to their everyday lives,” said Starbucks spokeswoman Erin Stan.
Since Starbucks ended the fall season early, it also adjusted its menu. In 2019, the company released its second-ever pumpkin drink, Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew. This year, Starbucks added the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Latte to its menu.
Both drinks reflect the growing popularity of cold drinks, which account for more than three-quarters of all Starbucks drink orders regardless of the season. They’re also a more temperature-appropriate option for late August, when many consumers are still dealing with the heat and need air conditioning.
But Eleni Demestihas, a 28-year-old attorney from Denver, plans to delay drinking her first pumpkin spice latte of the season, even though she prefers it iced. Demestihas said she usually waits until she can wear a sweatshirt all day – probably sometime in mid-October.
Until then, she’ll just enjoy the PSL memes.
For all the grumbling about Starbucks’ early fall menu, some of its competitors entered the arena even earlier. Dunkin’, a private company owned by Inspire Brands, released its fall menu on August 16, eight days before Starbucks launched its products. Krispy Kreme launched its pumpkin spice donut range on August 7th.
IHOP released its fall menu of pumpkin spice pancakes and pumpkin spice cold brew on August 28, six days after its launch last year.
“In general, the timing of something like this for us is really based on consumer insights,” IHOP Chief Marketing Officer Kieran Donahue told CNBC.
The Dine Brands chain typically sells about a million of its pumpkin spice pancakes each time it comes back on the menu.
“The fact is, it’s a popular menu item … I think we could always offer it and people would buy it,” Donahue said.
Lizzy Freier, head of menu research and insights at Technomic, said it’s too early for her to enjoy a pumpkin spice latte. In her hometown of Chicago, temperatures are expected to top 90 degrees on Labor Day.
Luckily for Freier, Demestihas, and other consumers who want to hold back on enjoying their favorite fall treats, Freier says the early launches haven’t caused companies to sell out their products faster.
And don’t worry – many companies are sticking to normal seasonal boundaries.
Reynolds’ Hefty won’t release its cinnamon-pumpkin spice-scented trash bags until September.