A fast-food chain known for the art of the roast is ringing in the holiday season by bringing back something minty cool.
Wendy’s confirmed to TODAY.com that the Peppermint Frosty will be making its nationwide return on Nov. 14, replacing the Pumpkin Spice Frosty. Which means, unfortunately for fans of corduroy and leaf peeping, fall is officially over — at least at Wendy’s.
According to Wendy’s, the Peppermint Frosty, which was first introduced last year, features “bursts of refreshing peppermint” combined with Wendy’s Frosty base for a treat meant to tantalize your taste buds with a bit of holiday cheer.
The reintroduction of the Peppermint Frosty marks the third seasonal flavor of 2023, following summer’s Strawberry Frosty and fall’s Pumpkin Spice Frosty.
“Dave Thomas took a lot of time making sure he launched just the Vanilla and Chocolate the way he wanted it launched. We stay true to what a Frosty is and are careful with the flavors that we develop,” John Li, Wendy’s vice president of culinary innovation, told TODAY.com. “We originally thought this might only work in the summertime, but the reality is it works year-round, which led to the Peppermint Frosty, which we launched last holiday season. There’s some fun stuff that’s happening.”
As for how Wendy’s decides on its seasonal Frosty flavors, Li says that out of a culinary team of 15, two employees are dedicated to Frosty fantasizing and fabrication.
“You start off with 20 all the way up to like 50 or 60 different versions until you get it whittled down to the top three. That is the typical process,” he says.
Meanwhile, around the world, news of fantastical Frosty flavors fill the air: There are Bahamas’ Pina Colada and Kit Kat Frostys, Philippines’ Red Velvet Frosty and the Middle East’s Key Lime Pie Frostys, among others.
For years, stateside social media users have been asking for new Frosty flavors, like Reese’s or caramel apple, to name a couple.
When asked about Frosty flavors in development, Li remains tight-lipped, but he did convey that Wendy’s seasonal approach to Frostys has opened up a world of possibilities.
“It does make it sort of endless in terms of what we can do with flavors that our fans have either asked for or that we research to understand what works. It’s kind of tricky from that perspective,” Li says, adding that the company has a few ideas in development. “I can’t share a ton, but what I can share is the things that we will launch you’ll think, ‘aha, that makes total sense.’”
“Something as simple as a Strawberry Frosty: I think most of our competitors would just throw some strawberry syrup and you mix it in. We can’t do that. It’s just not a part of our makeup,” Li continues. “If we’re going to actually kind of deliver something that we know the fans actually take super seriously, you cannot mess it up, you don’t have second chances.”
