The Seasonal Play
BIGGBY® COFFEE, the East Lansing, Michigan-based coffee franchise operating more than 460 units across 13 states, launched its broadest fall seasonal menu to date on Aug. 20, running through Nov. 1 — a strategy that positions the chain to compete for the high-margin seasonal beverage spend that rivals including Starbucks and Dunkin' have long dominated in the third and fourth quarters.
The menu spans six pumpkin beverages, a reconstituted maple bourbon range, a multi-SKU apple cider lineup, five Halloween-specific drinks active Oct. 1 through Nov. 1, and two new food items. For an independent franchise system of BIGGBY's scale — 100% franchised, with no corporate-owned units — the breadth of a coordinated seasonal rollout across 13 states represents a meaningful operational undertaking and a signal of where the brand is directing franchisee marketing resources heading into the holiday stretch.
Beverage and Food Specifics
Pumpkin anchors the menu with returning items — the White Pumpkin Latte (pumpkin and white chocolate), Chumpkin (pumpkin and chai) and Pumpkin Spice Latte — alongside newcomers including the Jack-O-Lantern Latte (pumpkin, vanilla and marshmallow) and a Sweet Foam Pumpkin Cold Brew. Pumpkin Sweet Foam is also being introduced as an add-on modifier, expandable across any beverage on the menu — a tactic that broadens attachment-rate potential without requiring a dedicated SKU build-out at every station.
The apple cider range includes the Caramel Apple Cider, Caramel Apple Creme Freeze, CiderBerry Red Bull® Mocktail and Chaider. Maple Bourbon — originally introduced in 2020 — returns in latte and cold brew formats. On the food side, the Maple Waffle Sandwich (a Belgian-style waffle made with real maple syrup, available with egg, cheddar, sausage or bacon) is back, and Mini Pumpkin Cream Cookies are new, offered as a three-pack or as a single unit on the Kids Menu.
Pricing and Promotions
Several limited-time promotional mechanics run alongside the core menu, targeting both traffic frequency and specific consumer segments. Every Friday from Aug. 21 through Oct. 30, any 20-ounce specialty beverage is priced at $5.00 — a "Friday Night (De)Lights" promotion timed to autumn sports culture. School staff members can purchase any 16-ounce beverage for $1.99 with a valid school ID during Sept. 8–11. On National Coffee Day (Sept. 29), a 16-ounce brewed coffee drops to $0.99, while a 16-ounce Mocha Mocha Latte is priced at $1.99.
The Halloween window (Oct. 1–31) adds costume-based free kids' drinks and "Boo-d" stickers on select beverages redeemable for a buy-one-get-one offer — a mechanic designed to lift check averages during what is historically one of the chain's highest-traffic months. The company also flagged that International Coffee Day on Oct. 1 will be used to highlight its farm-direct sourcing commitments, reinforcing a sustainability narrative it has been developing with producers.
For franchise operators, the combination of a structured promotional calendar, add-on modifiers and a tiered food attachment strategy reflects the broader quick-service coffee sector trend toward menu complexity as a driver of average ticket growth. Analysts covering the specialty coffee franchise segment have noted that independently owned franchise systems increasingly need orchestrated seasonal campaigns to maintain brand coherence across dispersed unit footprints — a challenge BIGGBY, as a fully franchised operator, navigates without the direct lever of corporate store standards enforcement.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
