• by Teresa Buyikian , August 15, 2023

As Los Angeles remains under a sweltering heat wave and many New Yorkers are still on the tail end of summer Fridays, IHOP announced the launch of its seasonal Pumpkin Spice menu on Aug. 28 at participating locations nationwide.

This year the pancake giant added to the seasonal offerings with a Pumpkin Spice Cold Foam Cold Brew. The drink consists of 100% Arabica Iced Cold Brew sweetened with vanilla and topped with a pumpkin spice creamy cold foam.

The chain will also bring back its Pumpkin Spice Pancake Combo, which includes two pumpkin spice pancakes made with real pumpkin and seasonal spices, topped with creamy whipped topping and served with two bacon strips or two pork sausage links, two eggs and hash browns.

IHOP averages sales of over one million Pumpkin Spice pancakes per year since their launch in 2008.

IHOP’s launch of a cold coffee beverage comes as no surprise. Starbucks’ cold business reached 75% of U.S. beverage sales in Q3, according to the company's recent earnings report. Cold espresso beverages in particular rose 13% year-over-year and cold foam represents the quickest-growing customization across all of the brand’s options. Modifiers, including cold foam, now contribute more than $1 billion in revenue annually.

And love it or hate it, the Pumpkin Spice flavor is here to stay, and arriving in store earlier and earlier each year. According to Nielson IQ, Americans’ demand for pumpkin spice drove a 24% increase in such seasonally flavored grocery items from 2021 to 2022.

7-11 already launched its Pumpkin Spice offerings on Aug. 1, which consist of a Pumpkin Spice latte, Pumpkin Spice coffee or the ability for customers to add Pumpkin Spice syrup to any drink of choice. On Aug. 7, Krispy Krème added Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Swirl and Pumpkin Spice Maple Pecan donuts to the chain’s seasonal menu.

You can probably blame the whole pumpkin spice thing on Starbucks and its launch of its flavored latte in 2003. That product is probably set to return this year on Aug. 24, according to food blogger Markie Devo.