Haunted Attractions Are Leaving an Easy Win on the Table, and Fewer Than 1 in 10 Have Noticed

Halloween food is getting more playful, more textured, and more central to the season. Haunted attractions, though, are still treating food like an afterthought.

That gap looks bigger in 2026. Mars said in its 2026 Tricks, Treats and Trends report, released July 23, that 71% of U.S. adults want texture in their treats and nearly 60% want extreme flavors. The report also found that 57% of adults now see Halloween as a full season, not a single day. For haunted attractions that already build themed environments, those numbers point to an easy food and drink opening that many still are not using.

The data says guests want more than candy

The Mars report was based on a Morning Consult survey of 3,001 U.S. adults fielded June 1 through June 5, 2026, according to Haunted Attraction Network’s review of the report and Mars’s own announcement. The headline finding for food is straightforward: guests want novelty, texture, and seasonal specificity, not just sugar in a generic package. Mars said 76% of adults see sweet treats as a small daily pleasure, while younger shoppers are especially likely to seek seasonal flavors, colors, and shapes.

That matters because haunted attractions already trade on atmosphere. A named dessert, a limited spooky mocktail, or one savory item built around the event’s story can do more work than a basic concession counter. Haunted Attraction Network argued that the better read on the Mars data is not “more candy,” but more themed food experiences that feel tied to October and to the attraction itself.

The same piece pointed to a striking supply gap in the haunt business. Fewer than 10% of haunted attractions incorporate food at all, according to the 2022 Haunt Industry Benchmark Survey cited by Haunted Attraction Network. HauntPay’s 2024 Haunt Industry Report, as cited in that coverage, found only 3.9% of operators call food a major revenue source, while 65% charge less than $30 for general admission. That helps explain why the food category remains easy upside rather than a crowded battlefield.

A few operators are already showing what works

Some attractions are already treating food as part of the product instead of a side sale. Haunted Attraction Network reported that Scarehouse Windsor sells an immersive dinner package priced at $125 per guest. Co-owner Shawn Lippert said that includes about $45 for the meal and $55 for a Fast Pass, and described the dinner as a way to attract people who might not otherwise try a haunted house.

Larger operators are also expanding food for a different reason, dwell time. According to Haunted Attraction Network, SCREAM-A-GEDDON spent $2.5 million rebuilding its midway into a 50,000 square foot environment that adds four new food trucks, fire pits with s’mores, and an expanded beer garden with local wine and craft beer. At Eastern State Penitentiary’s Halloween Nights, director Erin Davis said the addition of bars, a beer garden, vendors, and s’mores lets guests come for history, pizza, and drinks even if a traditional haunt is not their main draw.

Universal is taking a more menu-driven approach. Haunted Attraction Network reported that Universal Horror Unleashed built food around themed items such as pickled eggs, bloody egg cake pops, truffled deviled eggs, a Feaster-tini, and a Blood Bunny Mocktail. That approach treats food as part of the story. It also fits with what Mars found: consumers are responding to seasonal identity and sensory detail, not just heat or novelty for its own sake.

Why this is such an easy win for haunted attractions

The simplest reason is that the competitive baseline is low. If fewer than 10% of haunts offer food at all, then a single well-executed item can stand out. Haunted Attraction Network’s advice was practical: not more food, just one item that is unmistakably tied to the attraction and unmistakably tied to the Halloween season.

There is also a timing benefit. Mars found that Halloween is stretching earlier and wider, with 57% of adults treating it like a season. Haunted Attraction Network noted that major events are opening in August, including Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party on August 7 and Oogie Boogie Bash on August 18, while Starbucks set the return of Pumpkin Spice Latte for August 25. That means some of the country’s biggest Halloween experiences are opening before one of fall’s most recognizable seasonal drinks is back.

For home cooks and food businesses watching Halloween trends, the lesson is clear. People are ready to buy food that feels specific to the season, especially when it is visual, textural, and limited. Haunted attractions already know how to build a world. In 2026, the operators who extend that world onto the plate may have one of the cleanest growth opportunities in Halloween food.