Seasonal Menu Items Have Returned — and Seasonal Franchise Strategy Has Evolved

You know it’s the holiday season when Starbucks breaks out their red cups again. While Starbucks itself is not a franchise, many top franchise brands across the country are able to pursue similar strategies in order to draw a seasonal spike in revenue.

On Monday, Nation’s Restaurant News reported that many national brands are trying something new, or at the very least, taking advantage of some holiday festiveness. Writer Bret Thorn put together this in-depth listing of some seasonal menu items from top national franchises and restaurant chains, showing how the holiday spirit has doubled as a business opportunity for many brands.

The holiday season is often a time where many people will indulge a little more than they otherwise would. This is where franchises can see dollar signs, and where a unique strategy can turn into long-term customer retention.

Large and small coffee chains have implemented seasonal flavors, while brands like Applebee’s and Dave & Buster’s have resorted to special holiday-themed cocktails to help drive seasonal traffic. If a limited-time strategy like this shows promise among customers, it can lead brands to consider full-time implementation, or at least an ongoing seasonal campaign. If it doesn’t, it can be written off as a one-time holiday trial that disappears without a trace.

A seasonal menu is just enough of a twist to lure customers back in with something new, while preserving the confidence a customer might have already developed for the brand.

Franchises can implement seasonal recipes on a large scale, which requires carefully-executed procedures and planning well in advance of December. A mom-and-pop store can throw in some peppermint flavor to virtually anything and call it seasonal, while a nationwide brand can have a tougher time creating uniformity under a similar strategy.

Brands have already been forced to plan ahead in the wake of COVID-19, and the holiday season is just another reminder of what a few months of advanced insight can provide. Seasonal offerings take a lot more than planning; however, given the current state of the global supply chain, it can be difficult enough to stock up on essential ingredients, much less seasonal ones.