Pumpkin Spice in August? Spooky.
We’re still far from Fall, but Pumpkin Spice is already on the menu at many places across the country.
Seeing the flavor this early in the year might cause some seasonal whiplash given that summer is still in full swing — but consumers can’t get enough.
Pumpkin Spice flavored items are popping up at various franchises earlier and earlier every year, leading restaurant technology provider SpotOn to determine that 1,000 “pumpkin” menu items have been added to menus across the U.S. in the last month alone.
Brands are taking advantage of the popularity of the Pumpkin Spice market, which is estimated to surpass $2.4 billion by 2031 globally.
Here are some of the brands getting started on autumn early:
Starbucks
Of course, Starbucks is one of the main companies to get ahead of the Pumpkin Spice trend.
The infamous Pumpkin Spice Latte will be returning to the coffee chain for the 21st year in a row on Aug. 22, a Starbucks employee in Virginia told USA TODAY. Though the company has not officially announced the date, multiple leaks online have also suggested Aug. 22 as the drop of the fall menu.
Again, the company has not officially released the menu to the public, but the leak expects it to include other pumpkin items such as Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai and Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin.
7-Eleven
For the first time ever, 7-Eleven has jumped on the Pumpkin Spice train. Starting Aug. 1, the convenience store shop introduced a Pumpkin Spice Slurpee.
The frozen drink will be available at five select 7-Eleven and Speedway stores in Texas, Ohio, California and New York:
- 3200 Hackberry Road in Irving, Texas
- 5530 Valley Blvd. in Los Angeles, California
- 2030 W. 8th St. in Los Angeles, California
- 82 Greenwich St. in New York City
- 90 N. Xenia Drive in Enon, Ohio
In addition to the Pumpkin Spice Slurpee, 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes stores already have other pumpkin drink offerings available to purchase, including Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, Pumpkin Spice Coffee and Pumpkin Spice Latte.
As for why the store is dropping their fall menu so early, “7-Eleven customers are huge pumpkin spice fans, so we’re always looking for reasons to bring out the pumpkins a bit early and delight customers with new creations,” Dennis Phelps, Senior Vice President, Merchandising (Vault & Proprietary Beverages) at 7-Eleven, said in a statement.
International Delight
International Delight also decided summer is over by putting their pumpkin offerings on shelves. The brand’s new Pumpkin Pie Spice Cold Foam Creamer is already available for purchase, as is their fan favorite Pumpkin Pie Spice Creamer.
Dunkin’
Dunkin’ is adding to the coffee options, with their Pumpkin Munchkin Creamer back in stores for the third year, although no release date has been confirmed.
Smoothie King
An entire Pumpkin Smoothie Line-up will drop at Smoothie King on Aug. 27 — but Healthy Rewards members get early access to the full line-up starting on Aug. 20.
Smoothie King’s line-up includes:
- Pumpkin Power Meal: 100% organic pumpkin, almonds, dates, Gladiator protein, protein blend, multivitamin and our seasonal spice blend.
- Pumpkin Slim-N-Trim: 100% organic pumpkin, bananas, dates, protein and seasonal spice blend.
- Pumpkin Vegan: An entirely plant-based blend with 100% organic pumpkin, Califia Farms Oat Milk, bananas, dates, organic plant-based protein, stevia and seasonal spice blend.
- Pumpkin Coffee High Protein: 100% organic pumpkin, dates, almonds, non-fat milk, protein blend, whey protein and seasonal spice blend, along with your choice of cold brew coffee or espresso.
- Pumpkin D-Lite: 100% organic pumpkin, dates, frozen yogurt, nonfat milk, protein blend and seasonal spice blend.
Philadelphia Cream Cheese
Philly has already brought back its seasonal fan-favorite, Pumpkin Spice cream cheese. The flavored cream cheese returned to shelves in July — an extra early introduction to Fall.
