As fall flavors take over, the question remains: Which do consumers actually want?

Every year, it’s fascinating to see what flavors join the ranks of pumpkin spice and pop up at restaurants nationwide. The question, especially in an economy like this one, is always: What do consumers really want?

Pumpkin spice, of course, is always everywhere, and this year its Aug. 25 launch at Starbucks led to foot visits climbing 25.7% compared with the year-to-date daily average, and 35.1% compared with the average for a Tuesday, according to Placer.ai. According to Technomic, pumpkin spice sees highest purchase intent among female Gen Zers, with millennials close behind, which is certainly a desirable consumer set. It mostly shows up in lattes, cappuccinos, and — interestingly — cheesecake.

Forty-two and a half percent of pumpkin-spice purchases are unplanned, and 48.5% are made on Fridays and Saturdays — making those Tuesday Starbucks numbers all the more impressive. Plain old pumpkin, without the spice, is currently on menus at 10.3% of restaurants nationwide, according to Technomic, but that number always spikes in the fourth quarter, and is up quite a bit over the past five years, moreso than other flavors.

Starbucks is also going big on pecan this year with its Pecan Cortado, Iced Pecan Crunch Latte, and Pecan Crunch Latte, putting an ingredient more frequently found on salads in the beverage market. No coffee beverages are among the 16 most common dishes with pecans. Pecan and maple are the most popular flavors among male consumers of the ones I looked at.

While it’s not strictly a fall flavor, Dunkin’ is into tiramisu this season, with four drinks featuring this new-to-the-brand flavor. This is the most popular fall flavor I looked at among Baby Boomers (though they are still outnumbered by millennials among fans).

It’s popping up at other restaurants too, including Blaze Pizza. Not quite what I meant last week when I wrote about necessary operational changes there, but I suppose it can’t hurt.

Some other interesting tidbits from my research, all courtesy Technomic:

• Cinnamon is the most popular fall flavor among lower-income consumers.
• Apple is served at 43.5% of restaurants, but is coming down from a peak in the fourth quarter of 2024.
• My personal favorite, maple, is up 3% over the last five years — here’s hoping for a continued rise.

As you consider flavors for your own fall menu, be sure to think about your core consumer, what they want, and how you can serve them.