Pip: October is here, and the food world is doing what it does best — slapping a seasonal label on everything and calling it an event.
Mara: Cristine Struble has been tracking all of it, from marathon-ready pickle shots to Halloween doughnuts to a cheese brand that literally stopped smiling. Let’s start with the fast food moves that are here today and gone before you finish your fries.
Limited-Time Fast Food Drops
Pip: Fast food right now is in a strange, generous mood — shrinking portions, bottling brine, and stacking biscuits to the ceiling. The question is which of these limited-time swings actually has a future beyond the promotional window.
Mara: The McDonald’s story is a good place to anchor that question. Tied to the Chicago Marathon, the post describes pickle juice as something that helps “with cramps to hydration, the salty, tangy beverage is a quick shot to keep those legs turning mile after mile.”
Pip: So McDonald’s is essentially selling a sports recovery drink — except it’s their signature sandwich pickle, and the pitch is that it might be the true secret behind the burgers all along.
Mara: The post makes that case directly. It also floats the idea of a bottled consumer product, pointing out that other restaurant brands already bottle their signature sauces. The Golden Arches angle is real.
Pip: Meanwhile KFC is going the opposite direction — not bottling anything, just making the bucket smaller. The Go Buckets post covers individual snack-size portions at $3.49, protein included, no “kids” label required.
Mara: And then there’s the Short King Sandwich Shoppe, a Pillsbury and Chain pop-up running through November at Westfield Topanga Mall. Biscuits as the vehicle for everything from brunch to a dessert course, including the Doughboy Deluxe stacked at 8.75 inches tall.
Pip: Fork and knife territory.
Mara: The Kraft Mac and Cheese Cheesy Ramen piece rounds this out — three flavors, Spicy, Chicken, and Pork, landing in early 2027. Limited window energy, just with a longer fuse.
Pip: Speaking of things designed around a calendar — Halloween has its own food agenda.
Halloween Sweets and Sips
Mara: October’s spooky-season offerings lean hard into color and character. Dunkin’s Halloween menu sets the tone, and the brand’s VP of menu innovation put it plainly: “This year, we’re taking two fan-favorite platforms into entirely new territory. From the tart, crisp flavor of Green Apple Dunkin’ Zero to the spooky twist of Purple Marshmallow Cold Foam, we’re giving guests new ways to experience Dunkin’.”
Pip: Green apple and purple foam — Halloween is really just an excuse to make your coffee look like a prop from a school play, and honestly, fair enough.
Mara: The menu spans tart Refreshers, the Terror-misu Cloud Latte with tiramisu and espresso, and the Dark Spell Daydream Refresher with berry, clementine, and oat milk. The post notes more surprises are still coming through October.
Pip: Krispy Kreme went the character route instead. The Looney Tunes doughnut collection — Bugs Bunny, Tweety and Sylvester, Taz, Lola Bunny — hit stores October 6. Candy corn icing on the Tweety and Sylvester one is either brave or unhinged.
Mara: The post frames it as a smart generational play. One box, multiple decades of fans, and Halloween doesn’t have to be scary to be fun. That’s the throughline from drinks to doughnuts this month.
Pip: From seasonal campaigns to one brand rethinking what it stands for entirely.
The Laughing Cow’s Comeback Campaign
Mara: The Laughing Cow recently dropped her smile, and the brand turned that into a campaign. CEO Peter McGuinness explained: “A wedge is supposed to be something you share, not something that gets between us. She’s laughed for over 100 years and we have to get her to laugh again.”
Pip: A cheese brand doing social commentary is a choice, but the mechanic is concrete — the hashtag SpreadTheLaugh invites people to post their petty disagreements and, ideally, laugh them off. Socks and sandals. Thermostat wars. Ketchup on hot dogs.
Mara: It’s engagement-first brand thinking. The wedge becomes a bridge. The post argues it promotes real interaction with a century-old product in a way that a new flavor launch simply wouldn’t.
Pip: Pickle juice, purple foam, and a cow with a frown — October is nothing if not committed to the bit.
Mara: The throughline is brands finding new shapes for familiar things. Next time, we’ll see what else gets reinvented.
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