If he has the impression that there are many new drinks on the catering menus, it is because there are.
Pulled by younger consumers who are thirsty for personalized and cold drinks, Dunkin ‘chains in Dutch bros,, Starbucks And McDonald’s answer the call.
The number of drinks offered by the first 500 channels has increased by more than 9% in the past year, according to the Navigator report for Technomic drinks in 2025. Companies have relied even more on cold drinks. Offers such as specialized cafes and energy drinks have experienced the most growth of menus in the past two years, while coffee and tea drinks on menus decline, the market researcher reported in July.
In addition, consumers are moving more and more towards a chain simply to get iced coffee or soda. Last year, the main drinking sales engine was “to get a rise” because 22% said it was their most common reason to pass, against 20% in 2023, according to data. Meanwhile, 20% said they bought a drink to “wash food”. The two opportunities for a purchase switched places from the previous year.
“This change suggests that consumers can orient themselves towards more specific occasions for drinks, where drinks are the main engine of the purchase of food services rather than an additional module to support food.
An employee gives a drink to a client outside a place of coffee from Bros Dutch in Beaverton, Oregon, in the United States
Maranie Staab | Bloomberg | Getty images
Higher drinking sales are essential for the main players because they seek to reverse collapses in a difficult consumption environment. US restaurants in McDonald’s have experienced sales growth at 2.5% comparable stores in its second tax quarter, overthrowing two consecutive quarters of interior decrease when it was leaned over buzzing partnerships and value offers. But low -income consumer leaders are brought to justice. While Starbucks also experienced better than expected American sales, they still dropped by 2% compared to the period of the previous year.
Trying to capitalize on the desire for new buzzing drinks will bring your own challenges. Technomic forecasts forecasts The volume of drinks will increase by 1% until 2029, but the group said it would probably revise these lower prospects. Customers are also more sensitive to prices, with 61% of consumers who said they have noticed price increases Saying that they order drinks less often.
What Gen Z wants
The success of many new drinking lines will depend on consumers of the Z generation, who have flocked to personalized and sweet drinks.
Dunkin ‘saw its colorful and soft refreshing platform reaching new records in the last quarter, with unit sales over 30% in annual sliding. He will publish his fall menu later this week and will be based more on what Gen Z consumers are looking for.
The deployment will offer an extension of the Daydream refreshment range of Sabrina Carpenter’s pop star in mango and mixed bays, as well as a cereal and milk latte, with a mixture of espresso and real cereal milk which offers a “nostalgic MarsClobe cereals”.
Drinking conservation is essential for customers – and consumers of the Z generation in particular, said Dunkin ‘marketing director’, Jill Nelson. He must feel unique and special in this environment.
“On the product side, this is a vast surprise on cold drinks, personalization and daring flavor,” said Nelson.
“And then on the promotion side … When we think of the Z generation, it is a generation that grew up on drops of sneakers and stories that disappear in 24 hours. It is therefore a question of how to create new news and combinations of interesting flavors that you cannot really recreate easily at home and you feel that you are known when you go to driving and commanding them,” Speed and competition than customers for personalization more personalization.
The competition will warm up next month while McDonald’s is entering the drinks category in a more significant way. On September 2, McDonald’s will launch an expanded market test in 500 restaurants through the Wisconsin and the Colorado new drinks that include a “cold creamy vanilla and” Vanilla strike “brasserie”.
A worker gives a drink to a client in an McDonald’s restaurant in Martinez, California, the United States, Tuesday, February 4, 2025.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty images
In addition, the fast food giant will deploy the “dirty sodas” and the cooling watermelon refreshments, intended for consumers of the Z generation. McDonald’s has created programming with learning from its now closed COSMC concept, which has relied heavily on personalized drinks.
“We see a real dynamic in drinks, with more people – especially our Gen Z fans – turning to cold and tasty drinks like a treat,” said McDonald’s USA Customer Experience and marketing Alyssa Buetikofer in a press release.
When calling McDonald’s the most recent winnings, CEO Chris Kempczinski said that drinks offer a “great opportunity” for the brand.
“It is growing and it is more profitable than food. So there is a lot to love, that is why we too, I think that some of our competitors are also enthusiastic about it,” Kempczinski told analysts. He added that although there are value offers in the drinking space, you can get a lot of “full margin products” that the franchisees would not have to put back.
The protein game
The new drinking options go beyond the sweet and daring. The channels also aim to win consumers by explaining health trends.
A Starbucks icy vanilla protein slat.
With kind permission: Starbucks
While Starbucks continues its “Back to Starbucks” recovery plans under CEO Brian Niccol, it brings more modifications to the menu, including a launch at the end of the fourth quarter of protein cold foam. During the recent call for the company’s profits with analysts, Niccol said that the article “exploits what has become one of our most popular modifiers, Cold Foam, which increased by 23% from one year to the next”.
“Cold protein cold foam without added sugar is an easy way to add 15 grams of protein to almost any cold drink. And customers can also add the flavor of their choice,” he said.
The coffee giant said it found an increase in the satisfaction of young consumers. Niccol told analysts that client value perceptions were close to two years during his last quarter, driven by gains between generation Z and generation Y, which represent more than half of his customers.
It is to bet that innovation, associated with better customer service as part of its new “green deck service” strategy, will help stimulate business.
The Dutch Bros coffee chain relied on some of these drinks trends to stimulate strong growth. The channel was an artist out of competition – up more than 22% up to date – and has seen its sales with comparable stores increase by more than 6% in the last quarter.
CEO Christine Barone said that protein milk launched in 2024 stimulated business. But more broadly, unique and surprising garnishes and offers are a way to engage in a hard competitive landscape, she added.
“I think the key to innovation is to really understand when something could be ready to break out, or that something could be very interesting, then move very quickly to execute well,” Baronement at CNBC told.
– Drew Troast from CNBC contributed to this report