How Many Coffees Should You Have on Your Coffee Shop Menu?

coffees on the mene

More coffee sounds like a good thing.

After all, people love choice.

But there's a point where choice becomes confusion.

And confusion behind a busy coffee counter isn't particularly helpful.

Start with something you can do well

You don't need fifteen espresso drinks.

A well-made espresso.

An Americano.

A cappuccino.

A flat white.

A latte.

Perhaps a cortado.

You can build a surprisingly good coffee menu from a relatively small number of drinks.

The important thing is that your staff know what each drink is supposed to be and can make it consistently.

Give people something to discover

Once the basics are working, you can introduce something more interesting.

Perhaps a filter coffee.

Perhaps a rotating single origin.

Perhaps cold brew in summer.

Perhaps decaf that doesn't taste like an apology.

The point is to give customers opportunities to explore without making the menu look like an encyclopaedia.

Our own brew guides cover methods such as AeroPress, Moka Pot, French Press and V60, which can also give you ideas for how different brewing methods can introduce customers to coffee beyond espresso.

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Think about the customer who doesn't know coffee

This is important.

A coffee menu can be intimidating.

Especially when it contains words that mean nothing to someone who just wants a coffee.

You don't have to remove all the interesting coffee terminology.

But you can explain it.

“Ethiopia – floral and fruity” is probably more useful to most customers than simply writing “Ethiopia” and expecting them to know what that means.

And remember your operation

Every extra drink needs ingredients.

Every ingredient needs storage.

Every recipe needs training.

Every recipe needs to be made consistently.

And every extra choice creates another opportunity for a mistake during the morning rush.

A good menu isn't the one with the most options.

It's the one that works for your customers and your team.

Sometimes less really is more.

Especially when there are thirty people waiting for coffee.

coffee menu

— Henning  Al-Gharb Coffee Roasters, Algarve

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