Seasonal flavors are a staple at many coffee shops and food chains. Some examples of these include Starbucks and Dunkin with their fall flavors and McDonalds with their iconic Shamrock Shake. These specialty drinks and food make costumers excited for the changing seasons. This peaks the question should seasonal flavors be year round as a regular menu item?
Personally, I believe that specialty items should stay seasonal and not become year round. This is because it gives costumers something to look forward too. It has also been proved that more than 41% of people are persuaded to buy a food or beverage if it is only available for a limited time. Season favors popularity is mainly due to the fact that the items are unable to be over indulged in and that they are viewed as “special” because they are not around for a long time.
These speciality drinks also take an extremely long time to create and perfect, which is another reason that they should be only available in a specific time frame. If stores were to add many of their popular flavors to their menu indefinitely, they wouldn’t have time to work on crafting new ones. On top of that, seasonal foods and drinks are a business strategy, which is proven to be extremely successful. Even I find myself going to get coffee more in the fall due to my love of pumpkin spice and because I know this drink will only be around temporarily. This makes businesses a significant amount of money and while I would love to be able to get my fall coffee order year round it would be a very poor decision for businesses. Not only does it help the company during that season but it keeps them relevant and on consumers mind. Consumers tend to have an emotional connection to these flavors as well, and according to food business news, “27% of Americans consider seasonal flavors to be nostalgic. Thirty-nine per cent of consumers associated seasonal flavors with the word “comforting,” 39% with the “special,” 33% with “warmth,” and 30% with “happy,”’ making them a smashing success.
Each season has its own collection of popular flavors. In Autumn, the common flavors are Pumpkin Spice, Maple Cream, and Apple Pie. Examples of these tasty flavors are Dunkin Donuts pumpkin spice latte and Starbucks apple crisp cream chai. In the winter, gingerbread and peppermint are the top flavors. In the spring and summer, fruity drinks and foods are popular. These are picked specifically to trigger and in still nostalgia that will keep customers coming back each year.
Regardless of the fact that seasonal flavors are loved by everyone, it would not be a smart business move to make specialty treats year round. Even the people who love these limited flavors would soon grow tired of the repetition. Though saddening I highly even doubt any places would even consider making these items a part of the menu all year. Remember, as the fall ends their will soon be new flavors added for the winter!
