Coffee chains update their menus every year around this time to feature drinks and food with seasonal pumpkin spices.
Coffee chain Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts have introduced new menus featuring drinks laden with seasonal pumpkin spices, an annual move that typically boosts customer traffic in the initial days.
Starbucks’ new menu, which includes its signature Pumpkin Spice Latte, as well as pumpkin cream cold brews, chai, and muffins, went live on Tuesday. Dunkin’s fall menu rolled out earlier this week. Even McDonald’s is getting into the act, with its McCafe Pumpkin Spice Latte and a pumpkin creme pie launching on Friday.
When Starbucks introduced its pumpkin-based menu last year, foot traffic at Starbucks increased by 11.3% to 15.9% in the three days that followed, according to data from location analytics firm Placer.ai, as reported by MarketWatch.
The coffee chains are using the menu refresh to experiment with new items beyond those with pumpkin seeds. Starbucks has launched Pecan Oatmilk Cortado, and Dunkin’ has launched a Sabrina Carpenter-inspired strawberry drink. Carpenter, a singer and pop star, is known for her hit single “Espresso.”
The new menu items are another attempt to lure cafe-goers, at a time when high inflation and economic strains have pushed consumers to cut back on pricey coffee and dining.
Starbucks, in particular, has been struggling and is currently undergoing a makeover, which includes redesigned menus and cafes, cost-cutting measures, and enhancements to the customer experience under its new chief executive.
On Stocktwits, the retail sentiment for SBUX was ‘neutral,’ and the stock was down 5% year-to-date.
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