Slideshow: Fall flavor innovation on the rise

KANSAS CITY — Foodservice operators are jumping onto the fall flavors trend with a slew of seasonal introductions.

Panera Bread has unveiled its fall pumpkin menu, which is set to launch Aug. 19. The four new menu items include: pumpkin spiced ice coffee, a dark roast blend with pumpkin sauce over ice, sweet cream cold foam and pumpkin spice crumbles; pumpkin spice frozen java, a blended frozen coffee beverage with a dairy blend, pumpkin sauce, whipped cream and pumpkin spice crumbles; pumpkin cinnamon roll, a sweet dough roll with cinnamon and pumpkin filling and pumpkin spice icing; and caramel pumpkin slice, a cake slice made with pumpkin pie spices, brown sugar, vanilla, salted caramel swirls and pumpkin spice icing.

“Our guests look forward to these fall flavors each year, and we are bringing them to our menu in more ways than ever,” said Scott Uehlein, vice president of culinary for Panera Bread. “What sets our fall lineup apart are the details — from the decadent pumpkin spice icing and filling on our pumpkin cinnamon roll to the spiced crumbles and creamy cold foam topping our coffee beverages.”

Krispy Kreme debuted its autumn seasonal collection featuring two new donuts and one new beverage. The donuts include the maple cheesecake donut, an unglazed shell donut with cheesecake kreme filling, maple icing, graham-flavored crunch toppings and maple drizzle, and the cafe mocha donut, a glazed donut with chocolate icing, a coffee-flavored buttercreme swirl and a mocha bean. The apple crisp latte features apple crisp syrup, whipped cream, a caramel drizzle and graham-flavored crunch toppings.

“Nobody welcomes fall quite like Krispy Kreme, and we’re excited to bring back pumpkin spice while introducing even more seasonal flavors for our fans to fall in love with,” said Alison Holder, chief product and brand officer at Krispy Kreme.

For consumers interested in fall flavors outside of pumpkin spice, the Wendy’s Co. introduced the apple crumble frosty fusion. The dessert combines a vanilla frosty base with spiced apple syrup and oat crumbles.

Click to view more new menu items.