Today’s Dessert and Cafe Menu Trends — 2026-05-03

Highlights: Today’s New Menus

Starbucks & A Twosome Place — Ube Seasonal Menu

• Category: Drinks & Desserts
• Launch/Period: Limited to the April–May 2026 season.
• Key Features: Major coffee chains are competing with a new lineup of vibrant purple beverages and desserts made from "Ube" (purple yam), a Southeast Asian ingredient. Its exotic flavor and striking visuals are gaining rapid popularity thanks to social media photo trends.
• Why it matters: It follows the pattern of global visual trends—like "Dubai Chocolate"—being quickly adopted by domestic mainstream franchises. This is a prime example of combining color-based marketing with IP expansion, perfectly targeting the MZ generation's demand for "photo-worthy" items.

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Paris Baguette — 'Café de Dessert' Specialty Store

• Category: Bakery & Dessert Shop
• Launch/Period: Opened in April–May 2026.
• Key Features: Paris Baguette has launched "Café de Dessert," a specialty store designed with a Parisian flair. It represents a new store format that moves away from traditional bread-centered sales to integrate premium desserts and a cafe experience.
• Why it matters: It signals a shift for Korea’s largest bakery chain, moving from a simple bakery to a "premium dessert cafe," reflecting the broader trend of premiumization in the local bakery market.

Baskin Robbins — Pokémon Collaboration Long Umbrella & Pre-order

• Category: Collaboration/Merchandise
• Launch/Period: Limited to May "Family Month" 2026.
• Key Features: In celebration of Family Month, Baskin Robbins has released two types of long umbrellas in collaboration with the global IP "Pokémon" and is currently taking pre-orders. This marketing effort links merchandise with dessert products, leveraging the massive global fan base of the Pokémon IP.
• Why it matters: It illustrates how ice cream chains are diversifying their revenue streams beyond food to include character IP-based merchandise. Linking the Family Month season with IP marketing is highly effective at increasing average transaction values.

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Franchise Trends

• Starbucks Korea: Spearheading the Southeast Asian ingredient trend by launching purple seasonal menus based on "Ube" alongside A Twosome Place. Meanwhile, the U.S. headquarters reported strong Q2 earnings, attributing success to its "Back to Starbucks" strategy in re-engaging customers.

• A Twosome Place: Joining the Ube-based dessert competition alongside Starbucks, continuing its seasonal strategy to capture the tastes of the MZ generation with exotic visuals and flavors.

• Paris Baguette: Strengthening its premium positioning in the bakery-cafe market with the launch of "Café de Dessert." Continues to innovate in frozen dough, smart equipment, and premium ingredients through events like KIBA 2026 (Korea International Bakery Fair).

• Ediya, Mega MGC Coffee, Compose Coffee: The "K-Value" coffee trio is accelerating global expansion. Ediya Coffee has entered the Thornhill area of Toronto, Canada, and Mega MGC Coffee (7th) and Compose Coffee (9th) have ranked among the top global coffee chain store counts.

Convenience Store & Bakery New Arrivals

• Brands at KIBA 2026 (Korea International Bakery Fair): Artisanal dessert brand "Juni Cookie," preservative-free instant baby choux by "Eggroll," HACCP-certified "Damian," and premium dessert house "Corner Cake Studio" showcased new products at COEX from April 15–19. The event highlighted the diverse facets of K-Bakery, ranging from frozen dough to smart equipment and premium raw ingredients.

• Baskin Robbins — Pokémon Collaboration Goods: Pre-orders for limited-edition Pokémon long umbrellas are underway. This strategy of linking merchandise with ice cream purchases is effectively driving store traffic.

Today’s Trend Keywords

1. Ube: The Southeast Asian purple yam has emerged as the essential visual ingredient for cafe menus in spring/summer 2026. Chains are leveraging its vibrant purple color to create "photo-worthy" items that thrive on social media.

2. Dubai Chocolate: The trend of Dubai-style chocolate, featuring pistachio cream and kataifi, is spreading globally. Starbucks U.S. mainstreamed this trend in January 2026 with the release of "Iced Dubai Chocolate Mocha" and "Iced Dubai Chocolate Matcha," and similar products continue to appear in Korea.

3. Pistachio: Alongside the Dubai Chocolate trend, pistachio is becoming a standalone flavor. Starbucks is pairing pistachio sauce with other drinks and adding it as a primary flavor, while pistachio cakes and lattes are gaining consistent popularity in Korea.

Global Comparison

In the global market, the "triad" of Dubai Chocolate, Pistachio, and Matcha has been the key trend from late 2025 through the first half of 2026. The U.S. Starbucks launch in January 2026 reignited this trend, with independent cafes across the U.S. scrambling to add these items to their menus. In Korea, the addition of "Ube" as a visual differentiator highlights the domestic market's pattern of being a "fast follower with a local twist"—quickly absorbing global trends while adding experimental local ingredients.

Events to Watch Next Week

• Integration of KIBA 2026 Lineups: Products showcased at the Korea International Bakery Fair (held April 15–19 at COEX) will begin hitting distribution and retail channels in May. Keep an eye on whether B2B contracts for new frozen dough and premium dessert brands translate into consumer market success.

• Baskin Robbins Pokémon Pre-order Deadline: As the pre-order for Pokémon umbrellas proceeds, look for follow-up marketing campaigns once the final collection dates are set.

• K-Value Coffee Global Trends: Further announcements regarding Ediya Coffee’s expansion into Toronto and the global growth of Mega MGC Coffee and Compose Coffee are expected throughout May, drawing attention to the international competitiveness of K-Value coffee.

Action Items for Readers

• Menu Planners: Quickly develop visual-centric new menus utilizing "Ube." Just like Dubai Chocolate, the strategy of turning ingredients themselves into "IP content" is directly linked to social media virality. Analyze the trend cycle (Pistachio → Dubai Chocolate → Ube) to secure the next ingredient ahead of time.

• Cafe Owners: Benchmark the character IP merchandise promotion seen with Baskin Robbins to increase average order values during Family Month. Also, consider transitioning to a "bakery + cafe experience" format, like the Paris Baguette "Café de Dessert" model, to boost return visits.