By Alexa Hill
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
When the leaves start to change, fall is on the way—and so is pumpkin flavoring.
Coffee shops like Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts thrive off of announcing their pumpkin flavors and favorite pumpkin items. Starbucks has been creating pumpkin flavors for the past 16 years, including a new pumpkin cold brew coffee introduced this year.
“Once it is released by the website or signs about the pumpkin products, everyone on campus, professors included, order the pumpkin spice drinks,” said Nate Rabe, a barista on Towson University’s campus as well as a corporate worker for Starbucks for two years. “There is a tie right now between the pumpkin spice frappuccino and the cold brew but the cold brew sells out fast most days.”
The baristas at Starbucks located on the York Road at Burke Avenue said that their business has not picked up since the announcement of the pumpkin flavors but the items people are ordering have changed.
“It is about the same amount of customers that come in but instead of ordering their regular caramel macchiato they have switched to the pumpkin drinks,” said Tiffany Merson, who has been working at this location for three years. “We focus on stocking up ingredients for the pumpkin items rather than stocking up for the usual items since we do not sell nearly as much in the fall.”
Dunkin Donuts is also a company that thrives off of the pumpkin flavored sales in fall. They promote the release by signs as well as commercials on TV and radio to let everyone know their pumpkin flavoring is back.
“The pumpkin flavoring we have here at Dunkin can be added to any drink we make which makes it more appealing to our customers,” said Anisha Buri, an employee at Dunkin Donuts who has been working there for a year.
Not only coffee lovers look forward to fall pumpkin flavors, but bars and liquor stores equally look forward to the business it will bring. Employees at Uptown Liquors on York Road sell more pumpkin ales than regular beer in the fall.
“We see regular customers replacing their beer they usually buy with their favorite brand of pumpkin ales,” said Reema Patel, an employee since the store has opened back in March. “Our most popular brand of pumpkin ales that we see most customers buy is the Blue Moon.”
The Victoria Gastro Pub located in Columbia, Maryland, holds a Pumpkin Fest each year where they feature their best pumpkin ales. The first page of their menu is dedicated to the fest and the waiters and waitresses make sure the customers know the drink deals.
The bar was filled with no open seats left. Even the high tops around the bar were full with cheerful people enjoying their pumpkin ales. This fest is something they will continue to do every year due to the increase of customers it brings in.
“We have been doing the Pumpkin Fest for about six to seven years now and it always brings in a large crowd,” said Kate Bimestefer, a waitress at the pub. The pumpkin fest at Victoria Gastro Pub offers a wide range of pumpkin beers for a happy hour price starting at 5 p.m. “Our most popular beer is the Pumpking, second to that is the southern tier cold press pumpkin coffee.”
Clare Napoli, a senior nursing student at Towson, says she can not wait to get to the grocery store to find all of her favorite pumpkin items. She looks forward to fall each year just to buy her favorite products in a pumpkin flavor.
“Pumpkin spice coffee beans, pumpkin spice candles, pumpkin coffee creamer, and even pumpkin spice syrup, it’s my favorite flavor to look forward to each year,” Napoli said. “Any other flavor will never measure up to pumpkin.”
“We’ve sold out of the pumpkin cream cold brew today,” Rabe said. “Would you like to try our pumpkin spice latte?”