Falling for Fall Menu Trends

Miranda Parrish, Staff Writer
October 29, 2020

With the Fall season approaching, many restaurants and fast-food chains have brought back or added new items to their menu, officially reintroducing the annual commercial ‘pumpkin spice’ flavor.

While pumpkin spice was originally coined in 1936 by The Washington Post, it wasn’t until the 1950s that traditional pumpkin spice seasoning was invented by the spice companies. The mix of sugar and cinnamon, nutmeg and other Fall flavors brought a new meaning to the chillier time of year. But it wasn’t until the introduction of Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte in 2013 that the flavor became famous.

This last Fall, Starbucks introduced the Pumpkin Sweet Cream Cold Brew. Last year, the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew quickly became popular. As a result, a Fall version has followed. The Fall time pumpkin-themed drink is a refreshing change for the cooler temperatures, while still allowing customers to have their typical cup of joe. The fatal flaw is in the title: the pumpkin. While customers may think they are enjoying the pumpkin flavor, the drink has its name because of the pumpkin spice sprinkled on top.

Starbucks isn’t the only company that has produced cold versions of the seasonal options: both Smoothie King and local Timonium business, Snoasis, have released their annual Fall menus. Smoothie King has numerous pumpkin smoothies, with the most popular one being the Pumpkin D’Lite. The yogurt base and a good amount of pumpkin keep you fuller for longer and don’t leave you on a sugar high.

While Snoasis is a snowball stand, their Fall flavors such as pumpkin spice, apple pie and butterscotch allow the traditional summer staple to still be relevant past summer temperatures. Their flavors are well crafted, full of flavor and provide an unique texture compared to Fall-time foods.

Overall, the Pumpkin D’Lite smoothie ranked the best compared to Starbucks or Snoasis. The smoothie packs protein and flavor, and unlike the other items, it left me full. While many restaurants compete between each other for the most well-known dish or drink, every restaurant has different choices which attract a wide variety of people, and no matter where you go, there will never be a lack of pumpkin spice to satisfy your needs.