20 chains roll out early fall and holiday menu items

Twenty chains feature new or returning menu items as early-September fall promotions overlap with preparations for Christmas and Dunkin’ builds a drink lineup around the Dec. 18 release of “Avengers: Doomsday.”

Bret Thorn, Nation’s Restaurant News’ senior food and beverage editor, frames the timing: “Pumpkin-spice-latte season usually ends at Thanksgiving.” He adds that “just as Halloween started early this year, with some chains getting all spooky in early September, the coffeehouses are already preparing for Christmas.”

His observation compresses two selling seasons into one planning window. Seasonal naming, a film tie-in and a state-specific menu can focus attention on temporary additions, but the tracker supplies no sales, pricing or margin evidence showing which promotions work.

What is arriving across coffee and restaurant menus?

• Starbucks has a large seasonal lineup, including tiramisu drinks that other chains also plan to feature this season.
• Dutch Bros has seasonal refreshers and minty coffee.
• Ziggi’s is rolling out drinks with edible glitter.
• 7 Brew introduced food for the first time.
• Dunkin’ has a drink lineup prepared for the Dec. 18 debut of “Avengers: Doomsday.”

The coffee launches use three menu levers: Starbucks relies on a broad seasonal lineup, Ziggi’s adds novelty through edible glitter, and Dunkin’ anchors promotion to a fixed release date. Dutch Bros combines refreshers with minty coffee, while 7 Brew expands beyond a drinks-only menu.

That gives operators different ways to merchandise a campaign. For 7 Brew, the first food offering expands the chain’s menu beyond drinks.

Which brands are adding or reviving food and drink?

• Jack in the Box has Doomsday-related specials, while Krystal is bringing back its take on country fried steak.
• Qdoba has rolled out chicken tinga, and Long John Silver’s has seasonal clam chowder.
• Chicken Salad Chick has a salad with cranberries called “Mary Mistletoe.”
• Red Robin has spiked dirty sodas now, and Fazoli’s has cheesy bread.
• Hot Head Burritos has a variation on flautas called “Dippers.”
• Little Caesars has a new pepperoni pizza variation, and Sbarro has stromboli.
• Bonchon has udon noodles.
• Torchy’s Tacos has brought back its fried cookie bites, called “Nookies.”
• Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar has a monthly special named after Pittsburgh.
• Cafe Rio is serving a Sonoran Dog, but only in Arizona.
• Velvet Taco’s Weekly Taco Feature is modeled off Chicken Cordon Bleu.

Across those launches, the common mechanism is menu engineering rather than one broad ingredient trend. Movie references attach a fixed entertainment date to a purchase; holiday and regional names make dishes easier to merchandise; and revived items give familiar products another reason to return.

Cafe Rio’s state restriction creates a geographic distinction. The Pittsburgh special and Velvet Taco feature turn place or dish references into product names.

What does this change for operators?

It shows holiday menus moving earlier and promotions becoming more event-led, but it does not establish that any item is more profitable. The tracker omits check averages, prices, unit counts, company-operated versus franchised splits, ingredient-sourcing costs, labor costs and sales results.

Operators evaluating a similar launch would need to measure contribution after food and labor costs, not novelty alone, to answer the economic question. The next test is whether these early, event-led menus produce repeat visits and profitable sales, a result this tracker cannot yet establish.