Dunkin’ launches fall menu with new and returning favorites

WASHINGTON — It’s that time of year again. Fall is right around the corner, and so is pumpkin spice season. 

Dunkin’ has unveiled their fall menu ahead of the temperatures changing, and it will include a number of new items as well as the return of fan favorites, including the beloved pumpkin spice latte. 

Starting on Aug. 20, customers at Dunkin’ locations around the U.S. can select from the company’s fall menu. 

The Massachusetts-based breakfast company is debuting five new menu items this fall. The Cereal N’ Milk Latte, Sabrina’s Daydream Refresher Line, Iced Pumpkin Loaf, Kreme Delight Donut and Chipotle Loaded Hash Browns, Maple Sugar Bacon Breakfast Sandwich will all be available when the fall menu drops. 

Obviously, the Pumpkin Spice Signature Latte is returning. But Dunkin’ is also bringing back the Pumpkin Donut & Pumpkin MUNCHKINS, as well as Chipotle Hash Brown Wake-Up Wraps, Ham & Swiss Croissant Stuffers and Braided Apple Pie. 

The company is also bringing back its $6 meal deal, which features a Bacon, Egg and Cheese Sandwich, crispy hash browns and a medium hot or iced coffee. 

The $6 meal comes as consumers are facing higher prices across the board. 

The Labor Department reported on Aug. 14 that its producer price index — which measures inflation before it hits consumers— rose 0.9% last month from June, the biggest jump in more than three years. Compared with a year earlier, wholesale prices rose 3.3%.

Prices rose faster for producers than consumers last month, suggesting that U.S. importers may, for now, be eating the cost of Trump’s tariffs rather than passing them on to customers.

“It will only be a matter of time before producers pass their higher tariff-related costs onto the backs of inflation-weary consumers,” wrote Christopher Rupkey, chief economist at fwdbonds, a financial markets research firm.

Dunkin’ is also the latest food chain to introduce an affordable meal option as consumers face these higher prices. 

Restaurants and fast-food chains have been promoting cheaper meal deals in an attempt to reach customers who’ve been skipping eating out as it gets more costly. Inflation held steady at 2.7% in July, as restaurant meals continued to get more expensive, rising 0.3% in July and 3.9% from a year earlier. A 2024 report by FinanceBuzz found that in the last decade, food prices have increased between 39% and 100%. 

Pizza Hut announced earlier this month that a summer promotion offering $2 pan pizzas on Tuesdays would run through the end of August. 

McDonald’s began offering a $5 meal deal last year and Wendy’s followed suit with a “Biggie Bag” for around the same price. 

Now an iconic fall drink, the Pumpkin Spice Latte started as a seasonal item for Starbucks in 2003. It was just the third seasonal beverage introduced by Starbucks, after the Eggnog Latte and the Peppermint Mocha.

Since the drink’s launch more than 20 years ago, the Pumpkin Spice Latte has quickly grown to be Starbucks’ most popular seasonal beverage, with hundreds of millions sold. Dunkin

In the decades since, Dunkin’ and other brands have hopped onto the trend, introducing their own Pumpkin Spice drinks and foods. 

Despite the name, pumpkin spice isn’t actually made with pumpkins. It’s a blend of baking spices that are generally considered “warm” in the cooking world. The spices typically include cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves and allspice. 

The mix gets its name because it’s commonly used to add some extra flavor to pumpkin pies.