Pumpkin spice?

How about a Buffalo sauce latte, asks Tim Hortons

It may be pumpkin spice season, but in the latest move by restaurants to create social media buzzworthy concoctions, Tim Hortons is experimenting with a far more bizarre new latte flavour: Buffalo sauce.

The latte —available at only two Buffalo, N.Y. locations for a limited time — is made with a “bold Buffalo sauce flavour,” finished off with “a dusting of zesty Buffalo seasoning” and a whipped topping. Blue cheese not included.

The idea to incorporate Buffalo sauce into its menu stemmed from noticing both the coffee—and—doughnut chain and the sauce were created in 1964, Tims said in a press release.

“I think that is part of the broader strategy to create products and items that will garner some of that social media excitement,” said Robert Carter, executive director of foodservice at NPD Group, a market research firm.

“(But) I don’t know if it’s, you know, to the point where they’re going ‘let’s just think of the most crazy outlandish thing’.”

In an environment where consumers’ wage growth is falling behind the pace of economic expansion, restaurant industry growth is fairly flat, he said.

That means chains are forced to differentiate themselves and steal customers from other companies in order to boost their traffic, he said. One way to do that is create buzzworthy food and beverage items that consumers, especially the important millennial demographic, will share on their social media profiles, Carter added.

In this vein, Tim Hortons has launched a series of zany products recently. Last Canada Day, some U.S. restaurants served Canada—inspired treats, including a poutine doughnut — cheese curds and gravy included.