Every year, restaurant chains like Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks come out with a signature seasonal menu. For example, the famous pumpkin spice lattes and donuts come out just in time for the fall season. Similarly, the beginning of November is the start of holiday drinks for these chains. 

So what’s on Dunkin Donuts’ new menu? A fan-favorite, Cookie Butter Cold Brew returns for another season to please Dunkin customers. It consists of Dunkin’s classic, creamy brown-sugar flavored cold brew that gets topped with cookie butter cold foam. That’s not to forget the cookie crumbles that get placed at the top of your cup. And what’s better to eat with it than a cookie butter donut— a crispy, doughy donut filled with brown-sugar cookie buttercream and topped with sweet maple icing and cookie crumbs?. But don’t worry, if you’re not a fan of cookie butter, Dunkin has your back with a Peppermint Mocha latte, a chocolatey latte with sugary pumps of peppermint to fulfill your candy cane cravings. Or, you can try a toasted white chocolate latte that fills you with warmth and holiday cheer. 

While this is pretty great, it isn’t all that the menu includes. In fact, it’s added several new additions for this 2024 Holiday season, starting with a White Hazelnut Bark coffee that bridges the gap between white chocolate and toasted hazelnuts. Furthermore, they’ve created a brand new almond croissant that’s crispy, sweet, and nutty all in one snack. They’ve also created the perfect breakfast for on-the-go—a hash brown brisket scramble. It’s perfect for early mornings before school, quick breakfasts on a holiday road trip, and more.

Now, for the question that’s on everyone’s mind: why are seasonal holiday menus so beloved and in such high demand? 

Well, there’s many reasons for the appeal, one being the various flavors to enjoy. From sweet sugar cookie cold brews to chocolatey, minty lattes, there are so many new flavors to try. Isn’t that enticing enough? All of your friends are raving about the white hazelnut bark coffee. Wouldn’t you rush to the nearest Dunkin’? Perhaps it’s the timeline. These menus are seasonal, and the items on them are considered limited edition. This means that there’s only a short window of time before they’re off the shelves again for another year. 

While these could all be likely causes for the high demand, it’s mostly the feeling that brings people to the stores. Our brains are able to associate different flavors with certain memories like going ice skating with your friends while holding a Peppermint Mocha latte or watching the first snowfall of the year from your kitchen counter with an almond croissant in your hand. Not only can flavors bring up joyful memories, but even just the look of a holiday drink or holiday colors can. Think of the red cups that Starbucks gives out or the snowflakes on Dunkin Donuts cups. Nothing says the holidays more than that.