Pumpkin has long dominated the fall beverage lineup, but this year, several chains have put apple into the mix. Nutty flavor profiles like pecan are also trending. But have no fear, there’s still plenty of pumpkin around in both food and drink. In other news, Condado Tacos sticks with the more summery peach, Pollo Campero dips into queso, and Cracker Barrel riffs on chicken.

Caribou Coffee is not only spotlighting apple, it’s singling out one variety: the Honeycrisp. The fall beverage lineup includes the new Iced Caramel Latte with Honeycrisp apple foam; a Honeycrisp Apple Caramel Espresso Shaker; Honeycrisp Apple Caramel High Rise-Latte; Honeycrisp Apple Energy with original and lemonade bases; and Honeycrisp Apple Caramel High Rise Caribou’s Cooler Blended Beverage. The high rise refers to a topping of whipped cream and a drizzle of sauce. Pumpkin has good representation at Caribou, too. The ubiquitous fall flavor shows up in seven drinks, including a White Mocha, Espresso Shaker, Latte, Cold Brew, and Chai Latte.

Apples also fall onto the menu at Paris Baguette. The iced or hot Caramel Apple Matcha Latte blends ceremonial-grade matcha with caramel apple and milk, drizzled with caramel sauce. On the food side, there’s a Caramel Apple Streusel Trifle and Caramel Apple Streusel Donut. Pumpkin favorites have been updated for Fall 2026 and include a Pumpkin Streusel Latte topped with cinnamon streusel, Pumpkin Streusel Tart with pumpkin spice filling topped with streusel, and a Pumpkin Spice Cruffin, a flaky croissant-muffin hybrid with pumpkin spice filling, topped with pumpkin icing and pumpkin seeds.

Philz Coffee introduced Apple Cinnamon Roll Coffee, a cold brew with caramel apple butter, vanilla sauce, and cinnamon. To eat, there’s an Apple Cinnamon Danish, but pecan is also making news, with a Pecan Pie Kouign-Amann (a croissant-like round pastry with caramel on the bottom and pecan pie filling) and Pecan Pie Coffee. Rounding out the fall flavor lineup are Pumpkin Bread and a Cinnamon Maple Morning Bun.

A couple of apple-centric items flavor the menu at Peet’s Coffee. On offer are a Caramel Apple Protein Smoothie, a blend of Granny Smith apple purée, milk, and caramel, and Sparkling Green Apple Energy made with Granny Smith apple purée, club soda, and plant-derived caffeine. And on the pumpkin front, there’s Pumpkin Chai Latte, Pumpkin Latte, Iced Pumpkin Matcha Latte, and Pumpkin Cold Brew.

A new Caramel Apple Dirty Soda has arrived at Dunn Brothers Coffee, a fall variation for the brand’s Dirty Soda collection. Also on offer are a Pumpkin Pie Latte made with real pumpkin and spiced maple syrup, Iced Brown Butter Pumpkin Shaken Cold Brew, and Pumpkin Muffin, plus a nod to maple in the Maple Waffle Chicken Sausage Breakfast Sandwich.

Apples are abundant on Cracker Barrel’s fall menu, showing up in Sweet Cream Caramel Apple Pancakes and Sweet Cream Caramel Apple French Toast, as well as Apple Cobbler Cheesecake and a Granny Smith Apple Mimosa — a mix of sparkling wine and green apple purée. Moving into lunch and dinner, the family-dining chain is all about chicken. On offer are breaded and fried Crispy Homestyle Chicken as a platter or sandwich, Maple Bacon Homestyle Chicken, BBQ Smokestack Homestyle Chicken, Nashville Hot Homestyle Chicken, and Honey Butter Homestyle Chicken. The extensive menu rollout also includes Carrot Cake and Sweet Honey Latte.

The fall menu at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery combines value with classic flavors. Beginning Wednesday, pumpkin season gets into full swing with the new Maple Bacon Pumpkin Platter, where pancakes are layered with cheesecake filling, then topped with Maple Bacon glaze and whipped cream and served with eggs and a choice of bacon or sausage. There’s also a Pumpkin Pancake Platter, Pumpkin Mammoth Muffin, Pumpkin Pie, Iced Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew, Hot Pumpkin Spice Coffee, and the pumpkin-free Potato Pancake Stacker Platter. Value seekers can order up a Burger, Fries and Pie combo starting at $10.99.

Hojicha, not coffee, matcha, or chai, is the base for fall drinks at Coffee, Bean & Tea Leaf. The Iced Pumpkin Hojicha Latte combines hojicha tea with pumpkin syrup, white chocolate powder, and milk over ice, while both Iced Hojicha Latte and Hojicha Ice Blended Drink blend the tea with white chocolate powder and milk.

Pumpkin shows up in two items at First Watch: Pumpkin Spice Donuts and Pumpkin Pancake Breakfast. But the rest of the fall launch focuses on other flavors. On offer are a Maple Bacon Croissant Sandwich, The Godfather Breakfast Bowl with Italian sausage, eggs, and seasoned grits topped with lemon-dressed arugula, parsley, chives and Parmesan, and the Blazing Dragon, the restaurant’s seasonal fresh juice with strawberry, lemon, and dragon fruit.

Despite all the pumpkin and apple rollouts, Condado Tacos is sticking with a summer fruit: peach. The Mexican-inspired chain launched a Peach Chamoy Marg with tequila, Grand Marnier, Tajín, chamoy, and citrus for $10. The food side is peachy, too, with Peach Chamoy Guac, Peach BBQ Brisket Nachos, and a Peach Jalapeño Shrimp Taco. A peach-less BBQ Brisket Taco completes the menu’s debut.

Customers at Pollo Campero can dip into queso four different ways. There’s a Queso Bacon Chicken Sandwich layered with grilled or fried chicken breast, queso, and bacon on a brioche bun; Queso Bacon Yuca Fries topped with queso and bacon; and Queso Bacon French Fries with the same topping. Also on offer is a side of queso ($2.99) for dipping into or topping any menu item.

And at Subway, hot honey continues to be a flavor pick. The sandwich QSR launched Doritos Hot Honey Nachos with cheddar, Roma tomatoes, red onions, pickled jalapeños, and hot honey; the Hot Honey Italian sandwich filled with salami, pepperoni, provolone, lettuce, and hot honey; and Hot Honey Turkey Italiano, which adds sliced turkey to the above sandwich.

For more food and drink news of the week, check out Menu Tracker.

Source https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/beverage/apple-cuts-pumpkins-dominance-fall-flavor