Latest news with #fallmenu
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Chick-fil-A rivals competitors with new nationwide fall menu MONTHS before season kicks off
Chick-fil-A is approaching the end of summer on a high note with the introduction of Pretzel Cheddar Club Sandwiches. They are one of various brand new offerings coming to stores nationwide as part of the 58-year-old chain's fall menu, which launches on August 18. The sandwiches' launch comes following a successful test run last spring in Raleigh, North Carolina. Available in original, spicy or grilled flavor, the mouthwatering sandwiches are made with lettuce, tomato, cheddar cheese, bacon and Dijon mustard sauce on a toasted pretzel bun. The restaurant chain's cherry beverages are also coming back with a twist — the inclusion of its all-new Cherry Berry & Sprite. The chain's cherry berry lemonade, frosted lemonade, and sweetened ice tea with lemonade will also make their triumphant return. 'We are always looking for ways to surprise our guests with new and unique menu offerings, and this year's fall lineup presents even more opportunities for Guests to customize and make them their own,' said Allison Duncan, director of menu and packaging for Chick-fil-A. Customers can also munch on new chips starting August 18 — including Chick-fil-A sauce-flavored waffle chips. They will also be available at select retailers this fall. Chick-fil-A's upcoming fall menu comes after the restaurant was named America's favorite fast food chain. The Georgia-based chicken chain came first in a study analyzing customer satisfaction at more than 20 quick-service restaurants. Chick-fil-A scored 83 out of 100 in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), which takes into account factors such as food quality, order accuracy, and helpfulness of staff. This may have been a surprise to some customers, however, after the chain recently faced backlash for the addition of a new ingredient. Customers were left 'furious' earlier this year after the chain added a controversial new ingredient, pea starch, to its waffle fries. The chain tweaked the recipe in order to make its waffle fries stay crispier longer at its 3,000+ locations. However, loyal fans admitted to missing the 'sogginess' of its original fries and compared them to ones available to purchase at 7-Eleven. Americans are still lining up to order a Chick-fil-A sandwich, despite it being named one of the nation's unhealthiest fast food restaurants. Chick-fil-A will be launching new chips nationwide at its restaurants before releasing them at select retailers Its scrumptious original chicken sandwich and medium waffle fries were found to have had a combined total of 750mg of sodium — about one-third of a day's limit — along with 800 calories. However, the company is not letting the dent in its wholesome image stop it from working on plans to open new restaurants in Canada, the UK and Puerto Rico. Despite Chick-fil-A starting up its fall offerings early, other chains are opting to keep their autumn menus under wraps and keep their summer celebrations going. Jimmy John's has been celebrating the summertime with actor Walton Goggins and a menu with four new sandwiches. The chain also debuted Lemon Sunshine Cookies, which are available for the rest of the season. Dunkin' is still offering an abundance of items off its summer menu. Customers can also snag a limited-time Sabrina Strawberry Daydream Refresher — made in collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter. Other chains celebrating summer all season long with limited-time menu items include Starbucks, Sonic and Jersey Mike's.
Forbes
23-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Starbucks Fall Menu 2025: PSL Returns, But Apple Crisp Is Missing
Starbucks' July 21 Instagram reel confirms the Aug. 26 PSL return and previews the new pecan ... More drinks—without a single mention of Apple Crisp The official start of fall is here, according to Starbucks. The company confirmed in a July 21 social post that its Pumpkin Spice Latte and the broader fall menu will return nationwide on Tuesday, August 26, 2025. Their accompanying fall menu announcement also revealed a new pecan-based drink and food item, but the glaring absence of another fan favorite immediately captured the attention—and frustration—of fans online. 2025 Starbucks Fall Menu: At a Glance On last year's launch day, Thursday, August 22, 2024, Starbucks foot traffic jumped 24.1% above its recent Thursday average and stayed elevated all weekend. When Do Fall Drinks Actually Go Live? August 26 is the national launch date, but the menu's availability comes down to technology, not chalkboards. Seasonal syrups and menu buttons load into Starbucks' point-of-sale system overnight; once that sync happens, fall drinks appear in mobile ordering—historically before 6 a.m. in most time zones. If you don't see the fall menu in your app that morning, you're probably near a licensed store (airports, college campuses, Target cafés). Those locations run on different inventory schedules and often lag a day or two behind company-operated stores. What's on the Official 2025 Fall Menu? Starbucks isn't just bringing back PSL. According to the company, fan-favorite Pumpkin Cream Cold ... More Brew, Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai, and the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte are also returning. New this year: a Pecan Oatmilk Cortado and Italian Sausage Egg Bites. While PSL grabs the headline, Starbucks built a full supporting cast. According to the company, customers can expect the following fall menu lineup: That confirmed roster makes one omission even louder: the Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato. It wasn't mentioned, and its syrup isn't showing up on early internal lists. Until Apple Brown Sugar syrup appears in stores—or Starbucks says otherwise—its status stays unknown. What Happened to the Apple Crisp Macchiato? A quick scroll of the comments under Starbucks' announcement shows the loudest reaction isn't 'Welcome back, PSL!'—it's 'Where is the Apple Crisp?!' Starbucks hasn't addressed it publicly. If it's truly gone for the season, you can approximate the flavor: order a macchiato with Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Dolce syrups (or a hot chai with extra brown sugar and a caramel splash). At home, an apple–brown sugar syrup folded into oat milk and espresso gets close. If Starbucks does a 'second wave' this fall, a quiet late-September add-on is not unheard of; it'll surface in the app first. How Long Does the Fall Season Last? Officially, fall drinks stick around until red holiday cups arrive in early November. In practice, the season ends when syrups run out. Smaller markets or high-traffic stores often lose Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew first—sometimes by Halloween. Watch your Starbucks Rewards app the week of August 26; the company reliably nudges trial with Double-Star Days or targeted fall drink offers. Even as consumers count pennies, the PSL bump held steady year over year; visits on launch day matched 2023's already impressive gains, and states like North Dakota (+45.5%) and Kansas (+42.6%) led the surge according to Why the PSL Endures as a Cultural Marker PSL is more than a latte; it's a metronome. It signals a pivot to 'cozy' even while temperatures say otherwise. In a year of unpredictable routines and rising costs, a predictable flavor ritual feels like control. That's why the Apple Crisp absence lands like a personal slight for some. When a drink becomes part of someone's fall script, losing it isn't just a menu tweak, it's a broken ritual. Whether Starbucks brings it back this fall or not, the public demand is a reminder of how deep these seasonal cues run. Watch Starbucks' July 21 PSL announcement reel below.
CBS News
21-07-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Starbucks reveals Pumpkin Spice Latte release date and fall menu
The official start of fall is still months away, but the season is just around the corner for Starbucks fans. The coffee chain's popular Pumpkin Spice Latte is set to return on Aug. 26, Starbucks announced Monday. Although that's a later release date than last year, the 2025 return of the PSL is still on the earlier side for the company, which traditionally had waited until September to bring back the seasonal drink, closer to the actual start of autumn, which falls on Sept. 22 this year. The popular menu item consists of espresso, milk, Pumpkin Spice Syrup and whipped cream, with pumpkin pie spice sprinkled on top. The coffee chain started adding real pumpkin to the drink in 2015. The return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte as well as Starbucks' new fall menu comes at a critical juncture for Starbucks, which is pulling all of the levers it can to lure customers back into its stores. After enjoying years of strong growth, the company's progress has stalled, with U.S. same-store sales slipping 2% last year. The return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte as well as new menu items are "cultural touchstones that spark connection, nostalgia and excitement," said Starbucks global chief brand officer Tressie Leiberman in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch. The perennial debut of the Pumpkin Spice Latte may not be enough on its own to turn around the fate of Starbucks. But if past years are any indication, it's sure to be a crowd pleaser and revenue booster. Starbucks said several other fall-inspired drinks will be returning to its menu, including the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai and the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte. The chain is also adding a new fall drink, called the Pecan Cortado, with Leiberman describing it as combining "fall flavors with our bold espresso." Starbucks is also adding a fall menu item, Italian Sausage Egg Bites. The rollout of the new fall menu comes amid CEO Brian Niccol's "Back to Starbucks" campaign, which he rolled out in September of last year to increase foot traffic in the chain's stores and revive sales. Starbucks introduced the drink in 2003 after a months-long brainstorming session to create the company's first fall beverage. Led by Peter Dukes, who is credited as the father of the drink, the group's goal was to match the success of the peppermint mocha. Little did they know it would become their most popular seasonal beverage of all time. Since debuting over 20 years ago, the Pumpkin Spice Latte, also known by its initials PSL, has skyrocketed in popularity, with hundreds of millions of beverages sold. "Nobody knew at the beginning what it would grow to be," Dukes said in a story posted on the Starbucks website for the beverage's 20-year anniversary. "Twenty years later, it's taken on a life of its own." Starbucks initially considered naming the drink the fall harvest latte, but changed it to the Pumpkin Spice Latte "because the spices play a really important role in bringing out the flavors of pumpkin," Dukes said in a Starbucks post. The Starbucks-induced pumpkin craze led Merriam-Webster to add the "pumpkin spice" to the dictionary in 2022. It also prompted other chains like Dunkin' and McDonald's to introduce their own pumpkin-inspired beverages in 2007 and 2013, respectively. Mentions of pumpkin spice on U.S. menus climbed nearly 34% from 2014 to 2024, according to Technomic, which tracks consumer and menu Associated Press contributed to this report.
