Wondering How To Build a Menu and Need All the Recipes? I got you
Building a menu is one of the first things you need to decide when you start your coffee shop. This big decision is often one of you first big business decisions and makes the whole venture feel real. It also will help you decide what supplies you’ll need to order and where to acquire. You can make our menu as complicated or as simple as you want. I personally would start out with the basics and then add on to your menu based off of customer requests or by having seasonal specials.
How to on menu basics
- Decide on espresso based drinks. Most of the time people will recognize a latte and add a flavor from your list of syrups. I don’t break it down into latte and mocha and cappuccino on my menu. Most won’t really care. I simply add the mocha options on my flavor list. However, if you think it’ll make a difference break it down into the different drinks. It’s your menu. You do you.
- Decide on non-coffee drinks. Lotus Energy. Italian Sodas. Red Bull drinks. Hot chocolate. A good tip is to choose non coffee drinks that you can use the same products as your other items. For example, don’t buy an extra hot chocolate powder. Instead, use the mocha sauce you already have and add steamed milk.
- Psychology. Place your more expensive menu items in the upper left of you menu. People who want a latte will order a latte. People who have a regular drink no matter where they go will order it from memory. The people who make split second decisions or don’t know what to get start to read in in the upper left of the menu first like you would a book. Use it to your advantage!
- Print or Not to Print? When starting out I suggest using a chalkboard sign with those liquid chalk markers. At the beginning you’ll be moving things around, changing prices, changing drinks or flavors. We still use chalkboard menus and have yet to move to a printed sign. However, I have heard good things about having Staples print your menu.
- Prices. Do some research and go to other coffee shops in your area and take pictures of their menus. What do they look like and what prices are they charging?
- Sizes. We offer one cold drink size at markets and catering. Same for hot drinks. Hot drinks are 12oz and cold are 16 oz. As you grow and more people make requests expand on your sizes.
Recipe Basics
How many pumps of syrup per size??
For coffee……….
4 pumps (1 oz) for 12 oz hot/ 16 oz cold
6 pumps (1.5 oz) for 16 oz hot/ 20 oz cold
For Sodas……….
6 pumps (1.5 oz) for 16 oz cold
8 pumps (2 oz) for 20 oz cold
Common Drinks
Hot Vanilla/Any Flavor Latte (12oz)
- 2 oz espresso
- 4 pumps (1oz) of vanilla syrup
- 8 oz milk, steamed
Iced Vanilla/Any Flavor Latte (16oz)
- 2 oz espresso or cold brew concentrate (we use Green Joe Coffee’s recipe)
- 4 pumps (1oz) of vanilla syrup
- 5 oz milk
- 8 oz (half the cup) ice
Caramel Macchiato (we know its not the real one but the “Shmarbuks” place has ruined people)
- 2 pumps (0.5oz) vanilla, bottom of cup
- Caramel sauce, rim inside of cup with a good swirl of caramel sauce
- Milk (8 oz for hot, or 5 oz for iced)
- Add ice if ordered cold
- 2 oz espresso on top
- Don’t mix
What yummy items do you have on your menu?
Best Wishes,
Ashley