Pumpkin Spice Everything

September 24, 2015

It’s that season again. In the aisles of your local grocery store and on the menus of your favorite cafes, pumpkin spice-flavored treats are abound. From unique products like pumpkin pie flavored potato chips and Peeps to decadent desserts like pumpkin cheesecake and crème brulee, pumpkin-spice is everywhere.And what is the most hands-down, most popular seasonal fall-flavored treat? It appears to be Starbucks' beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte. Since 2003, Starbucks has sold over 200 million of these drinks. This season, to meet the evolving demands of diners everywhere, Starbucks announced that their lattes would be made with real pumpkin and no caramel coloring.Competition has grown to capture the seasonal trend of pumpkin spiced mania. Panera Bread offers a Pumpkin Spice Latte of their own, that is not only free of caramel color, but also free of potassium sorbate, mono and diglycerides and sodium benzoate. Want a donut with your beverage? a Dunkin’ Donuts is serving up pumpkin lattes at their stores. And yes, you guessed it: McDonald’s is on the list of restaurants whipping up this popular drink, too.Not a coffee fan? Caribou Coffee has a special Pumpkin Chai Latte featuring chai tea instead of traditional espresso. An ice-cream lovers can rejoice in Dairy Queen’s Pumpkin Pie Blizzard.While pumpkin is a super star ingredient in the fall, as a restaurant operator, don’t forget to add other seasonal flavors to your menu. The food experts featured in this NRN article note several ways you can spruce up festive dishes with other autumn notes like using figs, butternut squash, apples and cranberries.Pumpkin patch photo credit: Liz WestCC by 2.0

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