Look at it and weep that you didn’t think of this first. It’s the Jack-O’-Lantern Pizza at Peter Piper Pizza. Look at that pumpkin-shaped crust with the pepperoni arranged into a face. I was going to say that I’ve seen pumpkin everything except pizza!
So here we are again this year. There’s hardly an October latte LTO that doesn’t scream PUMPKIN. Donuts are right behind it.
For the sake of operators, I’m going to try to justify this, but I’m holding my nose. I’m among the 30% of consumers who either don’t like or hate pumpkin pie. That tells you where I'm at with the gross gourd. I'm a pumpkin Scrooge. But we will get through this.
BTW, I wonder how many people going out for fast casual fare at Dallas-based Bellagreen would gravitate to its Seared Salmon with Pumpkin Puree, Pumpkin Hummus or Pumpkin Beef Chili. Not many, I’m sure! Those options are stuck on the menu through mid-November.
OK, I’ll moderate myself. Pumpkin is one of those ingredients that seems to work with sweet or savory. It’s also colorful. Fall colorful. (But so are sweet potatoes.)
I’m not sure how smart it is to put pumpkin everything on the menu just because you like to be seasonal, and it’s fall. But maybe it’s smart if your aim is to be Instagramably buzzworthy. But if you need to be profitable, perhaps you might want to scope out other more pleasant fall ingredients (please!).
Those pumpkin lattes… let’s move on to salted caramel cold brew. Dunkin has done it. So has Starbucks.
Beyond Juice + Eatery has some seriously respectable fall LTOs that take us in the right direction. Check these out: Honeycrisp Bliss Smoothie, Caramel Apple Acai Bowl, Rustic Maple Bacon Salad and Maple Bacon BBQ Wrap.
This year, Bob Evans is embracing fall with a caramel apple breakfast menu. It includes, Caramel Apple Hotcakes, Caramel Apple French Toast and Caramel Apple Farmer’s Choice, which is pictured so you can see what that includes.
But I have to say, for every 10 pumpkin-flavored fall LTOs, I only find one caramel flavored. Then there is Dutch Bros Coffee that offers Caramel Pumpkin Coffee. People. Keep the pumpkin away from the caramel!
There’s an obvious lack of fall flavor/ingredient exploration. Let me toss out some ideas. Save this for next year if you can’t turn on a dime at this point:
- Pecans. Change a salad name to include pecans simply by sprinkling in candied pecans. Or work in pecan-crusted dishes.
- Sweet potatoes. How about mashed sweet potatoes, sweet potato fries or sweet potato gnocchi?
- Butternut squash. Folks would be into soup, ravioli or simply a side of roasted butternut squash. I promise.
- Maple. Work it into meat glazes or as the choice sweetener.
- Figs. Go a little highbrow with figs in salads, as pizza toppings or in dessert tarts.
- Chestnuts. Be a little exotic and make chestnut puree, or use them in stuffings, soups or desserts.
It’s not too early to start thinking about New Year’s resolutions. Resolve to give pumpkins a rest next year and try your hand at something consumers would actually like. Don’t be a me-too operation. Be a leader. Let Starbucks and Dunkin’ own the pumpkin.
Jody
