Picture this. A customer steps into your café, scans the board, and pauses. They want to try something new, but the menu is crowded. Drinks are listed in no clear order, a few have technical names, and nothing stands out. By the time they reach the counter, they play it safe and order a latte. The moment for discovery is gone.
Menus should never make customers hesitate. They should help people choose quickly, point them toward drinks you want to sell, and tell them something about your café. A clear, simple menu is one of the most powerful tools you have.
Why too much choice works against you
Café owners often assume more options will bring in more sales. Research shows the opposite. In 2000, Sheena Iyengar, a professor at Columbia Business School, ran an experiment with jam tastings. One stand offered 24 flavors, another just 6. More people stopped at the big display, but the smaller one sold ten times more jars.
Cornell University researchers later found the same in restaurants. Shorter menus meant faster decisions and higher sales.
Think about someone standing in line at your café, staring at fifteen different espresso-based drinks. They are not impressed by the range. They are overwhelmed. Six to ten categories are enough. Espresso, filter coffee, cold drinks, and a seasonal section usually cover what you need.
How order shapes value
Now imagine the first item on your menu is a twelve-dollar single origin pour-over. Few customers will order it, but suddenly the six-dollar latte below looks like a fair choice.
This effect has been studied in depth. Emir Kamenica, a professor at the University of Chicago, showed in 2008 that people judged prices differently depending on what they saw first. Higher-priced items made the rest look reasonable.
For cafés, this means placing premium drinks at the top. They frame the rest of the menu and set the tone for quality.
Why words matter as much as prices
The words on your menu carry weight. In 2001, Brian Wansink and his team at Cornell tested how wording shaped perception. They found that when menus used sensory words like “succulent” or “homemade,” customers rated dishes as tasting better and said they would return more often.
Coffee menus often lean into insider language. “High malic acidity” or “anaerobic fermentation” may be accurate, but they are not inviting. Most customers respond better to “bright and citrus-like” or “fruit-forward with tropical sweetness.” The goal is not to oversimplify, but to help people feel sure about what they are ordering.
How design guides the eye
When you look at a menu board, your eyes land on what stands out. Spacing, bold type, or a box all draw attention. In 2019, researchers at Cornell published a study showing that small design choices like these increased sales of highlighted items by up to 20%.
Cafés can use this to guide attention to their most profitable or distinctive drinks. Maybe it is your house latte. Maybe it is your seasonal filter. Whatever it is, the design can quietly pull eyes toward it.
Even small details matter. The Cornell research also found that removing the dollar sign from menus made people spend more. Writing “5” instead of “$5” shifted focus away from cost and toward choice.
Pricing and portion sizes
Most customers gravitate to the middle option when faced with three. Small, medium, large. Blend, single origin, micro-lot. Itamar Simonson showed this in 1989.
For cafés, this means the middle option should be priced where you want it, because that is what most people will choose. The higher-priced option is still useful. It signals quality and makes the middle choice feel balanced.
Giving specialty coffee space
Specialty drinks like micro-lots or filters often get buried at the bottom of menus. They deserve their own section. A simple heading like “Brewer’s Choice” or “Specialty Coffees” helps them stand out. Research shows customers are more likely to try something unfamiliar when it is presented as limited or special.
If they cost more, give a reason. A 2020 study found that short, fact-based explanations made customers more willing to pay for premium products. Even a single line such as “This coffee comes from a farm producing only 100 bags a year” can make the difference.
The best menus are not long
A menu is one of the most important tools in a café. It shapes how customers order, how much they spend, and how they feel about your shop. The best menus are not long. They are short, clear, and easy to read. They highlight what you want to sell and give customers confidence in their choices. When you get the menu right, everything else about your café, your coffee, your service, and your atmosphere has a stronger chance to connect.
FAQ
How do I design a coffee shop menu?
Keep the list short, group drinks clearly, use relatable descriptions, and place premium items first.
What should a coffee shop menu include?
Espresso drinks, filter coffee, cold drinks, and a section for seasonal or specialty items.
How many drinks should a menu have?
Six to ten categories are enough. More than that can overwhelm customers.
How should drinks be described?
Use sensory words people understand. Avoid technical jargon unless your audience already knows it.
Does menu design affect sales?
Yes. Research shows layout, language, and how prices are shown can raise sales by 10 to 20 percent.
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