While fast food chains once released one or two limited-edition items for summer, that has quickly morphed into full-on seasonal menus.
You saw it with Peet's Coffee catering to vegetarians with a springtime menu of four oat-based lattes, a Mediterranean flatbread with vegan smoked provolone cheese and pesto, and a vegan breakfast sandwich made with Beyond Breakfast Sausage and JUST Egg.
You also saw it with Dunkin (DNKN)'s springtime menu full of items like the Mango Pineapple Refresher drink, Cake Batter Signature Latte, and Tomato Pesto Grilled Cheese sandwich.
What's On Dunkin's Summer Menu?
The year is going by fast and we are now already into summer.
To mark that point, the popular coffee and donut chain released a summer menu with the Brown Sugar Cream Cold Brew, a cold coffee drink with notes of molasses and cinnamon.
Dunkin
"It's topped with brown sugar cold foam -- smooth and velvety in texture -- and finished with a dusting of cinnamon sugar," Dunkin' says of the new drink.
Availability of the Mango Pineapple Refresher is also being extended into the summer.
Dunkin' is also bringing back the Everything Stuffed Bagel Minis. The bite-sized bits of dough stuffed with cream cheese first came to menus as a limited-time promotion in 2020 but were popular enough to be brought back after customer demand.
This time, they are available in Plain and Chive & Onion flavors.
"Served warm with two per order, Stuffed Bagel Minis join Dunkin’s latest brand-new food items, including the Tomato Pesto Grilled Cheese, Omelet Bites and Cornbread Donut & Munchkins Donut Hole Treats," Dunkin' said in a statement announcing the new items.
While it is not a menu item, Dunkin' is changing the price of all of its medium-sized cold brews to $3 throughout the summer. They typically cost $3.29 in most locations across the country but, if you drink them every day, you'll save a bit over the summer.
Dunkin
The chain has also partnered with Live Nation to serve this menu and other Dunkin' items at various summer festivals across the country this summer. These include Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza among others.
"Fans attending these festivals can also enjoy Dunkin's play-to-win games, sharable photo moments and a customization station to stay cool and fueled amid the fun," the company said in a release.
Why Are Summer Menus So Popular?
Seasonal menus are a powerful tool for most fast-food chains -- along with generating get-it-before-its-gone buzz, they can reinsert their name into the customers' minds (and the media) every couple of months.
This time of promotion is also often used as a testing ground to gauge demand and see what should become a permanent menu item. Market research firm Mintel recently found that 67% of customers had a seasonal product that they wanted to see available all year.
As seen with Dunkin', items like the Mango Pineapple Refresher can easily be transitioned from spring to summer menus if it proves popular enough. The lines between the different seasons can be fluid but the idea of releasing a separate menu to great fanfare can be a powerful marketing trick.
"You have to do it in a way that's a little bit on trend but not so scary for everybody," Li said," John Li, vice president of culinary innovation at Wendy's (WEN), said in a media call that announced the chain's strawberry Frostys.
