Kids who set up a sidewalk lemonade stand this summer may face a challenge from some of the biggest names in the food-away-from-home business.
Such major players as McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, IHOP, and Taco Bell parent Yum Brands are upgrading their citrusy refreshers to cash in on the popularity of the longtime warm-weather favorite.
But the new versions rely as much on consumers’ thirst for something new and different as they do on nostalgia. Lemonade has long been a signature of Chick-fil-A, which has offered both regular and diet fountain versions. For a limited time this year, the nation’s third-largest restaurant chain is offering a new line made with pineapple and dragon fruit, an Asian fruit that’s not widely known in the U.S.
One version combines a frozen version of the lemonade with Chick-fil-A's Icedream, a soft-serve ice cream-like product sold in cones. The mix positions the option as a dessert or snack.
Other big restaurant brands are similarly using lemonade as a mixer for options more exotic than a straight serving of the tart refresher. IHOP, for instance, has expanded its menu to include the Watermelonade Blast, a lemonade studded with a watermelon-flavored ice pop.
The addition comes as McDonald’s switches over to a new lemonade made from real lemon juice. The updated version also features the pulp a made-from-scratch batch might sport and is sweetened with cane sugar.
Big Mac is also using lemonade as a mixer, albeit in its experimental new drink concept, CosMc’s. The beverage-heavy menu features several options incorporating lemonade, including an Island Pick-Me-Up Punch and a Berry Hibiscus Sour-ade.
The website for CosMc’s lists five U.S. locations. This week, McDonald’s management revealed that elements from the spin-off's menu would be incorporated into the drink lineup of the company’s core brand.
Yum is experimenting with two drink ventures.
One, Kwench by KFC, is more of a concept-within-a-concept and is currently being tried only outside of the United States. It's a separate menu line consisting of 10 specialty drinks from four broad beverage categories, including lemonades. The options include a lemonade with a spicy mango flavor, and the Cherry Poppin’ Refresher, made with the flavor of Morello sour cherries.
After an initial launch in the United Kingdom, the array was recently expanded to KFC stores in Australia. The company has yet to reveal when Kwench may be coming to the U.S.
Already in the U.S. is a similar spin-off from Yum’s Taco Bell brand. A concept-within-a-concept called Live Mas Cafe was rolled into a franchised store in San Diego at the end of last year, and the results have convinced the franchisor to accelerate a rollout of the array.
The test store is taking in 40% more in sales than an average Taco Bell draws, according to Yum CEO David Gibbs, who has revealed that the unit averages 300 specialty beverages per day. Included are several lemonade-based drinks known as limonadas, a nod to Taco Bell’s Mexican focus.
For children hawking lemonade from their front-yard stands this summer, there is a positive to restaurant chains’ heightened effort to steal customers: They can charge a lot more than 50 cents per cup.
A small serving of McDonald’s revamped refresher is priced around $3 for a medium-sized serving and close to $3.50 for a large.
A frosted version of Chick-fil-A's Pineapple Dragonfruit Lemonade sells for $6.15 a serving in the Greater New York area.
As Managing Editor for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Romeo is responsible for generating the group's news and feature content. He brings more than 40 years of experience in covering restaurants to the position.