Every six months, Shake Shack (SHAK) shakes up its milkshake offering and brings in a few seasonal flavors. While there will always be chocolate and vanilla, the burger chain likes to introduce flavors that fit the time of year and current popular culture, a choice that inspires great excitement in fans of the chain.
In Spring 2022, Shake Shake introduced the "Wake And Shake." As more states move to legalize and marijuana use becomes more and more destigmatized across the country, many fans saw this as a subtle reference to the type of high-calorie meal one would eat after waking up and lighting up.
Later in the year, Shake Shack also introduced a nondairy chocolate shake and a nondairy chocolate frozen custard available at select New York and Florida locations as demand for alternative milk sources continued to grow.
The Latest Shakes Draw On Fall Ciders, Pumpkin
The latest new shakes to grace Shake Shack menus across the country are all, unsurprisingly, fall-flavored.
There's the Pumpkin Patch Shake, which has pumpkin purée mixed into the chain's signature vanilla frozen custard and some cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin seeds for good measure.
Shake Shack also launched the Apple Cider Donut Shake, made from apple cider donut frozen custard, and the Choco Salted Toffee Shake with chocolate frozen custard, salted toffee sauce hand-spun, and a whipped cream and chocolate toffee sprinkle topping.
Shake Shack
Each shake goes for $6.09, which is a little bit more than the average $5.99 seen when the chain introduced its spring and summer shakes in May. Actual prices may vary even more due to the varying cost of food in different locations -- dairy prices rose by more than 12% between 2021 and 2022.
The new shakes replace the seasonal Oreo Funnel Cake Shake and Chocolate Churro Shake introduced last May.
As last year Shake Shack also had a popular Sugar Plum Fairy shake for the holidays, there will likely be something with more "wintery" flavors before 2022 is up.
As most other brands, Shake Shack is banking on the longstanding obsession with pumpkin spice for its fall offering. It started in the mid-2000s with Starbucks (SBUX)' Pumpkin Spice Latte and never really died down -- many people see that combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin as synonymous with the start of fall.
The Pumpkin Spice Craze Continues
A study by business intelligence company Morning Consult found that 25% of Americans feel that late August is the perfect time to start seeing pumpkin spice products while food research firm Tastewise observed a 221% increase of the term "pumpkin spice" on restaurant menus between October 2019 and 2020.
There are now pumpkin spice Oreos, pumpkin spice hummus and even pumpkin spice CBD gummies by Martha Stewart.
"I don't think 'too soon' is a thing right now," Nic Climer, the executive creative director of the RAPP marketing agency that develops seasonal products for various fast food chains, told Morning Consult. "[...] If pumpkin spice is your thing, and your audience loves it, people need that extra zing in their life right now."
After posting a photo of the Pumpkin Patch Shake on Instagram (META), Shake Shack received an inflow of excited comments and demand for pumpkin spice everywhere.
"Pumpkin 🔥🔥🔥🔥 please make it permanent," wrote a user under the name of @the_college_dropout.
"…will trade ribs for shakes," wrote NYC barbecue restaurant Blue Smoke.
