Though Labor Day is almost two weeks away, pumpkin spice, fall’s iconic flavor experience, is already making its way onto restaurant menus and grocery store shelves.
Convenience store chain 7-Eleven gave customers a “first taste of fall” back on Aug. 1 with their release of a Pumpkin Spice Latte and Pumpkin Coffee.
Dunkin’ followed on Aug. 16, rolling out a fall menu line-up that included the return of their Pumpkin Spice Signature Latte as well as a Nutty Pumpkin Coffee and a host of sweet goods and snack items.
But the real “official” start of pumpkin-spice season comes this week, with the anticipated release of Starbucks’ fall menu of limited time offerings, including the Pumpkin Spice Latte credited with creating the flavor phenomenon.
Over the next several weeks, there are likely to be plenty more pumpkin spice flavor introductions. IHOP, for instance, will be launching its pumpkin spice menu on Aug. 28, which this year includes a cold-foam-topped Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew along with the return of IHOP’s Pumpkin Spice pancakes.
The pumpkin spice flavor frenzy, which can be traced back to Starbucks’ 2003 promotion of a pumpkin spice latte, currently accounts for at least $500 million annually in pumpkin spice product sales.
Many of these pumpkin spice items have no pumpkin content. Rather, pumpkin spice flavoring is typical a blend of “warm” spices such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and allspice.
Psychologists assert that pumpkin spice’s success is due to its increasingly-potent association in people’s minds with the fall season. For many the flavor now conjures up nostalgia for leaves changing, family celebrations, and the approach of the holiday season.
Expect to see pumpkin spice’s presence linger on menus until November, when the flavor barometer will begin swinging around to peppermint and gingerbread.
Side Dishes:
On Aug. 28, participating Chick-fil-A locations will be introducing a seasonal variation on the chain’s Original Chicken Sandwich.
This Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich will feature a Southern specialty, pimento cheese, as a part of its flavor signature. Pickled jalapenos and a drizzle of honey complete the sandwich, which features Chick-fil-A’s crispy chicken filet. According to company press materials, the sandwich took nearly a year to develop.
Also being introduced on a limited time basis is a Caramel Crumble Milkshake. The dairy drink is flavored with butterscotch caramel syrup and has blondie crumbles blended in.
Both items will be available at participating Chick-fil-A stores as long as supplies last.
**********
The Vanished Valley Brewing Company in Ludlow is holding a Paella Night Challenge on Sept. 14.
Four chefs, including Mike Rodrigues of Vanished Valley, will be preparing their favorite paella recipe, looking for “bragging rights” as the most-liked by those guests sampling each chef’s handiwork.
The evening begins at 5:30 p.m. with a cheese and charcuterie welcome. The challenge itself starts at 6:30 p.m.
Cost to attend is $32, all-inclusive. Reservations can be made by going to vanishedvalley.com.
The Vanished Valley Brewing Company answers at 413-610-1572.
**********
On Aug. 26, starting at 4 p.m., the annual Harvest Supper Celebration will return to the Greenfield Town Common.
A celebration of local food, farms and community, the gathering brings together area farmers and chefs who donate time and agricultural bounty to serve the 800 or more guests who typically attend the supper. Live music and crafter displays are also part of the celebration, which lasts until 7 p.m.
The Harvest Supper is a “pay-what-you-can” event, with this year’s proceeds being channeled to help area farmers deal with losses incurred during July’s flooding.
More information on the Harvest Supper can be found online.
**********
Dublin, Ohio-based burger chain Wendy’s has continued its move into the breakfast daypart with the Aug. 22 rollout of its own English-muffin-based breakfast sandwich.
The egg sandwich, which can be ordered with either bacon or sausage, gets a flavor boost from a brown butter – fresh black pepper spread. A “touch” of honey sweetens the specially-formulated English muffin used in the sandwich build.
Wendy’s is promoting the sandwich through its smartphone app as part of a $2 off combo deal that will be available until Sept. 3.
**********
The Greek Orthodox Holy Trinity Church in Holyoke will be holding a Greek Festival on Aug. 26, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The rain-or-shine festival will feature Greek food, pastries, and music. A partial listing of the edibles available includes sweet treats such as baklava, koulourakia (braided cookies), kourabiedes (white powder butter cookie), finikia (honey dipped cookies) and diples (thin dough dipped in syrup and dusted with powdered sugar).
Some of the other items on the festival menu consist of gyros, Greek chicken kebabs and rice, Greek salad, spanakopita (spinach pie), triopita (cheese pie) and vegetarian grape leaves.
The Greek Orthodox Holy Trinity Church answers at 413-533-9880.
**********
As part of the chain’s efforts to attract price-sensitive customers, participating Panera Bread locations are promoting a series of Value Duet meal deals. These Value Duets are soup and half-sandwich pairings which are typically priced between $6.99 and $8.99.
A few of the options available include a deli ham sandwich with Panera’s Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup, a classic grilled cheese with creamy tomato soup, a Napa Almond Chicken Sandwich paired with chicken wild rice soup and a Greek salad with creamy tomato soup.
Panera expects to add additional combination to the Value Duet menu over the next several months.
**********
Canton, Massachusetts-based Dunkin’ Brands has made a move into the flourishing ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages market by introducing Dunkin’ Spiked Iced Coffees and Teas.
Slated for a late August – early September rollout, the new packaged beverages will be available in grocery and package stores. With an alcohol content of between 5% and 6%, the eight flavors, four coffee and four tea, will be packaged in singles, six-packs, and 12-can “variety” packs.
More information is available at dunkinspiked.com.
**********
Denny’s Corp., which has over 1500 diner-style restaurants across the U.S., continues its efforts to return their system to 24-hour operation.
As of early August, the chain claims to have 75% of its restaurants now open ‘round the clock. Corporate leadership at Denny’s has set a 90% goal brand-wide for 24-hour operation, with the remaining restaurants continuing, for a variety of reasons, to observe shorter hours.
The push for 24-hour operation is linked to a company strategy to maintain late-night leadership. Operations in the late night – early morning hours can be a staffing challenge but typically represent strong revenue opportunities for Denny’s operators.
On the whole the restaurant industry’s late-night business has experienced a resurgence this year, with traffic estimated to have grown by about 7%. Definitions of what the daypart actually encompasses vary, but “late-night” is typically thought of as after 11 p.m. and extending into the early morning, pre-breakfast hours.
Other major chains such as Taco Bell and Wendy’s are also gearing up their marketing efforts to attract a share of this growing late-night traffic.
**********
Claiming that pizza night can get “boring and a bit cheesy,” KFC has this month introduced the Fill Up Box as an alternative to pizza as a family dinner staple.
The Box, which carries a $20 price, includes four pieces of fried chicken and 12 chicken nuggets, as well as sides of fries, biscuits, and dipping sauces. A 10-piece nugget pack is available to supplement the Fill-up Box; the nugget pack cost $5.
KFC is promoting the Fill Up Box with a song, “Kentucky Fried Chicken Night,” that can be downloaded, through mid-October, from various streaming platforms.
Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community College’s hospitality and culinary arts program and has nearly 50 years of restaurant and educational experience. Robert can be reached online at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com.
