Exclusive: Wendy’s is selling its first-ever holiday Frosty

By Jordan Valinsky, CNN Business

Wendy’s is adding a holiday-themed Frosty to its menu for the first time ever.

Beginning next Tuesday, Wendy’s will sell a peppermint Frosty for a limited time. It’s the second new flavor the chain has launched in 2022, and it marks a notable shift for Wendy’s in expanding beyond the traditional chocolate and vanilla: Peppermint is only its third new Frosty flavor in the US in the past 16 years.

Peppermint replaces the strawberry flavor that launched this past summer, which sold so well that the company accelerated its plans for another new Frosty flavor.

“Folks enjoyed the strawberry Frosty enough that we knew it was important to get after another flavor and one that would tie well with the holidays,” said Wendy’s chief marketing officer Carl Loredo in an exclusive interview with CNN Business. “Peppermint is amazing, and it’s a great way to ring in the holiday season.”

Loredo declined to reveal specific sales numbers for the strawberry Frosty, saying only that the chain had such “great success” with it that it wants to maintain the momentum.

“It’s an accelerated path, but it’s something we’ve been working on for a few years,” he said. “[Peppermint] was a flavor that we knew consumers liked — ultimately, the commercialization piece [was an aspect] we needed to finalize quickly, but it’s been something we had our minds.”

Peppermint’s arrival also means the vanilla flavor won’t be coming back for the remainder of the year. As for what’s next, Loredo said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Wendy’s adds new Frosty flavors in 2023.

Wendy’s doesn’t mix up its Frosty flavors as nearly as often as McDonald’s does with its McFlurry lineup. In 2019, the company added a birthday cake Frosty for a limited time for its 50th birthday. The vanilla Frosty was added to menus in 2006 and strawberry was briefly sold this past year.

Seasonal food and drinks are typically a boon for fast food restaurants. Dunkin’ and Starbucks roll out holiday-themed drinks annually and McDonald’s offers annual promotions in December.

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