Design a café menu: clearly display coffee, cakes, and breakfast

Building a café menu

A cafe menu follows a different logic than a restaurant. Guests arrive at different times of day with different preferences: breakfast in the morning, something light at noon, coffee and cake in the afternoon. The menu should reflect this.

• Coffee and espresso drinks, ordered by size and type.
• Tea, cocoa and other hot drinks.
• Breakfast, with time, until when it is offered.
• Cakes and pastries, with a note on the changing range.
• Small meals such as toast, soup, or salad.
• Cold drinks.

Cake of the day

The cake selection often changes daily – and that is exactly what guests ask about. A printed menu cannot capture it, a display case only serves those who are already there. A sign and a daily offer at the top of the digital menu show everyone what is currently in the display case.

In the menu template, the daily special is displayed above all categories and can be changed independently of the rest. The QR code at the table remains the same.

Milk alternatives and surcharges

Oat, soy, or almond milk, an extra shot, syrup – such extras often lead to questions at the counter. Present them clearly in one place instead of for each drink.

• A separate block "Extras" with all surcharges.
• Clear indication of whether milk alternatives incur a surcharge.
• Pay attention to allergens: Soy and almonds (tree nuts) are among the 14 major allergens, and oats are a gluten-containing grain.

Breakfast

Breakfast menus tend to have long lists of combinations. A clearer approach is to offer a few fixed breakfasts with clear descriptions and a list of extras available for an additional charge. Be sure to specify until what time breakfast is served – this is one of the most common questions.

If the menu changes according to the time of day, a QR code can lead to the breakfast menu in the morning and to the daily menu after noon. Same-QR allows such rules based on time and day of the week.

Design suitable for the café

A cafe thrives on atmosphere, and the menu is part of that. Whether cozy with warm tones or clear and bright like an espresso bar – the design should match the space and still be easy to read.

Same-QR offers ready-made designs for Café & Bäckerei, illustrated or with photo, whose fonts and colors you can adjust. The editor checks the contrast so that pastel tones do not go at the expense of readability.

Common mistakes on café menus

• Coffee specialties without explanation, which only baristas understand.
• Surcharges for milk alternatives that only become apparent at the checkout.
• Breakfast without specifying until when it is served.
• Cakes on the menu that are not in the display case at all today.
• Pastel colors with too little contrast.

A cafe menu may be playful, as long as it answers guests' questions before they are asked at the counter.

Frequently asked questions