We have access to too much information today, meaning that decision fatigue is something we struggle with every day. Many menu options may overwhelm customers and cause them to default to familiar choices. This results in sales reduction of potentially more profitable or signature items.
It's important to strategically design your coffee shop menu board to attract and retain customers. If you’re considering opening a new coffee shop or revamping an existing one, this guide has insights to get you there.
Types of Coffee Shop Menu Boards
Traditional: Painted Menus
Painted menu boards in coffee shops typically involve hand-painting the menu onto a board, often a chalkboard, for artistic and creative expression. Traditional painted menu boards provide a classic and nostalgic feel to a coffee shop, especially when tailored to the shop's historical context or specific era.
For instance, a coffee shop housed in a building from the 1800s could incorporate fonts and typographical styles from that period to create a harmonious historical ambiance.
Ground-Level: Stand Menu Boards
These boards commonly have a chalkboard or whiteboard surface. The cafe positions its offerings at eye level for easy visibility, allowing passersby and patrons to quickly glance. Their design is often portable and sturdy for convenient relocation and resilience in various weather conditions if placed outdoors.
Their size is carefully balanced to be large enough for readability yet compact enough not to obstruct pathways. Dual-sided boards are popular too, as they maximize visibility from different directions.
Futuristic: Digital Signage
One of the factors significantly affecting brand perception today is technology. A digital menu for a cafe gives off a modern and trendy feel that customers love and enjoy.
A digital menu board can increase customer spend by stimulating interest and driving sales. Studies show that 59% of customers who see digital food signage want to know more about the items shown.
It can also encourage customer interaction, entertain guests while they wait, and even serve as an additional revenue stream through third-party advertising.
Here are reasons why you need a digital menu board for your coffee shop:
- High-definition and beautifully organized layouts that are easier for customers to read.
- You can save time with digital boards by eliminating the need to manually erase and update pricing or items.
- Manage menu updates across one or multiple locations simultaneously, anytime and anywhere,
- Capitalize on peak hours by pre-scheduling high-margin items to display automatically.
Real-Life Inspo
Successful Painted Menu Styles
New Holland Coffee Co: This coffee shop creatively repurposed old galvanized steel sliding barn door railings to create a distinctive metal frame for their chalkboard menu boards. They then painted the boards on plywood to blend with the shop's overall decor.
Trendy Stand Menu Designs
A charming chalkboard menu sign at Odette's on the Left Bank in Paris is another example. They serve hand-crafted Choux á la Crème, and the menu board adds to the overall aesthetic of the cafe.
Digital Signage Success Stories
The Human Bean implemented digital menu boards to enhance the customer experience in their drive-thrus, a major aspect of their business model. They wanted to display a mix of both static and dynamic content to enhance customer engagement.
The purpose was to create a more personalized experience by simplifying menu presentation while highlighting seasonal and limited-time offers.
The outcome had a positive impact on customer behavior: leading to increased sales and providing a scalable digital signage solution that could grow with each franchise location.
Creative Menu Ideas
Daily Specials Delight: Rotating Offers
Daily specials are a fantastic way to keep your coffee shop menu fresh and engaging. Rotating offers regularly allow you to highlight unique beverages, seasonal ingredients, or experimental concoctions. This approach adds an element of surprise and novelty for your regulars and also showcases your versatility and creativity.
Double-Sided Allure: Maximizing Visibility
A double-sided menu board is a smart use of space and an effective marketing strategy. By having two distinct sides, you can cater to different customer needs, one side for the mainstay items and the other for specials, seasonal offers, or promotional content.
This setup maximizes the visibility of your offerings and allows for a quick and easy refresh of your menu.
Themed Sections: Adding Personality
Integrating themed sections into your menu adds a layer of personality and storytelling to your coffee shop. Themes could range from highlighting local ingredients to showcasing artisanal methods or cultural specialties. They make your menu more navigable and create a unique brand identity.
Interactive Elements: Engaging Customers
There is no better way to enhance the customer experience and inclusivity than to allow your consumers to play around with the menu. It could be as simple as a chalkboard where customers can suggest new drink ideas or electronic menus with QR codes linking to online polls for the next special.
Seasonal Showcasing: Adapting Year-Round
You can successfully implement seasonal specials in a cafe by first understanding your customer base and incorporating current trends, such as popular flavors or beverages that align with them.
For instance, you can introduce a rosemary-infused espresso in the spring to capitalize on the fresh, herbal notes popular during that season. Botanicals, such as rosemary, have especially become trendy with health-conscious individuals.
Design Tips for Selling Success
Strategic Placement for Maximum Impact
Strategically placing high-margin or popular items at eye level on your menu board can significantly boost sales. This tactic takes advantage of natural reading patterns, directing customer attention to these items first.
Additionally, placing special offers or new products near the register or in another prominent location can encourage last-minute impulse buys, increasing overall sales.
Consistent Branding Across Your Board
The aesthetic of the menu should align with the overall theme of your coffee shop. For example, a rustic-themed shop should have a menu board that reflects this style, eg by selecting materials such as rough-hewn wood or distressed metal.
Ensure that your logo and coffee shop name are visible and that the color scheme and font match your brand identity. This uniformity helps reinforce brand recognition and create a harmonious visual experience for customers.
Readability and Clarity: Keys to Happy Customers
Maintain a balance between images and text to ensure customers can easily scan the entire menu. Avoid heavy, saturated background colors that make text difficult to read; instead, use nicely contrasting colors for the background and text.
It is important to use clear and distinguishable category headings and subcategories, followed by pricing information. Remember to use space effectively to prevent overcrowding of text, making the menu easier to read from a distance.
Conclusion
The key to a successful coffee shop menu is to balance aesthetic appeal with functionality. Whether it's the classic charm of a hand-painted menu or the allure of a digital menu board, the goal is to captivate customers and enhance their experience.
When you decide to implement digital menu boards in your cafe, you need the right tool to reap the benefits of your investment. Look digital signage software is an all-in-one platform for your cafe’s menu needs. Book your interactive demo today!
