Create a beverage menu: structure, quantities and prices

Categories

Anyone who wants to create a beverage menu starts with clear organization. Guests usually look for the type of drink, not the brand. A common sequence:

• Non-alcoholic beverages: water, soft drinks, juices, spritzers
• Homemade: Lemonades, Iced Tea, Syrups
• Beer: draft, bottled, non-alcoholic
• Wine: open by color, plus sparkling wine and champagne
• Cocktails and long drinks
• Liquors and digestifs
• Coffee and tea

Depending on the venue, the focus shifts: in the cafe coffee is prominent, in the bar it is cocktails. On the digital menu from Same-QR, non-alcoholic, beer and wine are already set up as categories; cocktails, spirits and coffee & tea can be added.

Quantity information correct

For beverages, every price includes the quantity – that is, 0.2 l, 0.3 l, 0.5 l or 2 cl and 4 cl for spirits. In Germany, the Price Indication Ordinance explicitly requires this information, and guests expect it elsewhere as well. If multiple sizes are offered, they are written on one line to make comparison easy.

• Consistent notation: always “0.5 l” or always “½ l”, not mixed.
• For bottles, specify the size, e.g. 0.33 l or 0.75 l.
• When ordering coffee, specifying the type, such as "Espresso" or "large brown," may suffice instead of the quantity, but it is customary to provide a brief explanation for guests from outside.

Upgrade to alcohol-free

More and more guests are drinking less or no alcohol at all – drivers, pregnant women, athletes, or simply people who have to get up early the next day. A beverage menu that offers nothing beyond cola and apple juice is missing out on opportunities here.

• Homemade lemonades or iced teas with seasonal ingredients.
• Alcohol-free beer and alcohol-free wine, if there are good qualities.
• Alcohol-free cocktails that are equally featured on the menu alongside the others.
• Regional juices with manufacturer information.

House brands and recommendations

Guests appreciate guidance. A note like our house wine or from the brewery next door helps with the decision and shows what your establishment stands for. But do not highlight too much: one or two recommendations per category are enough.

For wine and beer, short descriptions are useful: fresh, acidic, dark, malty. The additional line of the digital menu provides space for this - and also for allergens such as sulfites or gluten.

Digital and printed

Drink menus often change: a new draft beer, a sold-out wine, a seasonal beverage. A digital menu can be adjusted quickly, whereas printed menus would have to be remade for every change.

Many businesses combine: a small printed menu with the classics at the table and a digital menu via QR code with the full, current selection. This way, every guest has a menu in hand and no one orders a drink that has been out of stock for weeks.

Common mistakes on beverage menus

• Missing quantity information, especially for open wines and spirits.
• Brands on the menu that are no longer being served.
• Non-alcoholic beverages only as a mandatory line at the very bottom.
• Different prices for the same drink on the menu and on the board.
• No information on whether tap water is offered and under what conditions.

A look at the cash register shows which drinks are rarely sold. Removing them makes the menu clearer and the shopping easier.

Frequently asked questions