SEATTLE — Millions of people might be dealing with extreme heat, but Starbucks is already preparing for the cooler fall season with its highly anticipated annual menu announcement. This move might be beneficial for them.
The coffee chain announced that its immensely popular Pumpkin Spice Latte will make a comeback on August 26, which is four days later than last year’s release date, marking the latest arrival since 2022. Nonetheless, this year’s announcement marks the earliest that Starbucks has ever disclosed the Pumpkin Spice Latte’s return date.
A Pumpkin Spice Latte drink rests on a table at a Starbucks in New York, on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023.
AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)
Known affectionately as the PSL by fans, this bestseller could become a much-needed success for Starbucks in rejuvenating its business. In recent years, Starbucks has faced challenges with declining sales and increasing competition, leading the company to appoint a new CEO who emphasized the need to “fundamentally change our strategy.”
Roughly 10% of Starbucks’ overall sales come from seasonal staples, the chain revealed last year.
Following the PSL’s release last year, visits to Starbucks were more than 24% higher than a typical day and generated a “sustained visit spike” that lasted several days after, according to a previous Placer.ai report, which tracks foot traffic.
Typically, Starbucks announces the drink’s arrival a few days before its release. But the company is giving a heads up a month earlier because Google searches for “pumpkin spice” have started earlier this year, with an increase in interest beginning in mid-June rather than mid-July in 2024, it said. (Plus, the drink’s arrival often leaks on Reddit long before Starbucks makes its official announcement).
If fans can’t wait, Starbucks said that its fall flavors are rolling out to grocery stores this week, including a PSL-inspired creamer and its autumn-themed as well as smoked butterscotch-flavored coffees. A canned PSL coffee drink will be released in early August.
Former Chipotle leader Brian Niccol became Starbucks’ CEO last September and has instituted a number of other changes. He’s tweaked employee uniforms, overhauled the menu by cutting 30% of its offerings and is testing a new café design that encourages paying customers to linger.
Since its 2003 launch, the PSL has taken on a life of its own, becoming a signal for fall both beloved and mocked and ushering in an era of pumpkin spice products, from trash bags to yogurt and even whiskey.
