The Seasonal Slate
BIGGBY® COFFEE is running its broadest fall menu to date across more than 460 franchise locations in 13 states, with the lineup active August 20 through November 1. Rather than anchoring on a single hero drink, the 460-plus-unit Michigan-based chain is segmenting by flavor pillar — pumpkin, apple cider, and maple bourbon — each carrying multiple beverage expressions that range from hot lattes to cold brew to Red Bull mocktails. That architecture gives franchise operators more upsell surface area per guest visit without adding significant back-of-house complexity.
Pumpkin leads with six SKUs, including the returning White Pumpkin Latte (pumpkin plus white chocolate), the Chumpkin (pumpkin plus chai), and a new Jack-O-Lantern Latte (pumpkin plus vanilla plus marshmallow) that doubles as a kids' offering under the name Jack-O-Lantern Jr. A new Pumpkin Sweet Foam modifier — addable to any beverage — functions as an attachment-rate driver, nudging average ticket upward without requiring a new drink build. Apple cider returns with four expressions, and the Maple Bourbon platform, originally introduced in 2020, is back in both latte and cold brew form.
The Promotional Architecture
What separates BIGGBY's fall push from a routine menu refresh is the five-layer promotional calendar layered on top of it. Friday Night (De)Lights offers any 20-ounce specialty beverage for $5 every Friday from August 21 through October 30 — a frequency driver built around high-school football culture in BIGGBY's Midwestern core markets. School Staff Appreciation Week (September 8–11) drops any 16-ounce beverage to $1.99 for educators with a valid school ID, a community-alignment tactic that costs little in margin but earns outsized local goodwill. National Coffee Day on September 29 anchors a value offer — 99 cents for a 16-ounce brewed coffee — that converts casual guests into loyalty-program candidates.
The Halloween window (October 1–31) adds another layer: costumed kids receive a free kids' drink, select cups carry "Boo-d" stickers redeemable for buy-one-get-one offers, and pumpkin-carving stencils tie the brand to at-home family rituals. On International Coffee Day, October 1, BIGGBY is spotlighting its farm-direct sourcing commitments — a supply-chain transparency message that resonates with values-aligned guests and differentiates the brand from convenience-channel competitors.
What Operators Should Take Away
For multi-unit franchise operators and regional coffee chains watching how a mid-size brand manages seasonal execution, BIGGBY's playbook surfaces a few replicable moves. First, the modifier strategy (sweet foam as an add-on rather than a standalone SKU) controls complexity while expanding customization. Second, the promotional calendar is sequenced to sustain traffic across the full 10-week window rather than concentrating volume in week one — a structure worth modeling for operators who routinely see LTO excitement decay after launch. Third, the farm-direct storytelling tied to International Coffee Day gives the brand a values layer that earns media coverage independently of the menu announcement itself.
For vendors and agencies in the brand launch and seasonal campaign space, BIGGBY's structured rollout — distinct phases for back-to-school, Halloween, and coffee-day moments — also signals that franchise systems with strong regional identity are investing in calendar-mapped activation rather than single-burst promotions. Suppliers and foodservice technology providers watching the coffee segment should note how mid-tier franchise chains are using LTO depth and community promotions as retention tools in lieu of heavy media budgets.
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.
