Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by michael Phillips on April 26, 2009 at 7:48am

If your going to call it a cappuccino then please try and fight the good fight and serve it as a 5oz. In our shop (Intelligentsia chicago in the states) the menu only lists cappuccino, no different sizes. We do get people who see the drink and are a bit surprised and ask for something larger and we oblige. If they specifically ask for a large cap from the get go we explain the cap that we normally offer and try to guide them towards a latte if they want something that size but ultimately we make them the drink they want. One of the problems we have had is that we used to offer a wider range of drinks and larger sizes. Once we realized that wasn't the kind of coffee we wanted to make, it was very difficult to take the option away from our customers. If your just starting out then do yourself a favor and keep your menu small. You can always add more sizes/items to it and you can also simply make people what they ask for. If you only have drinks you are excited about printed on a menu then people will gravitate there and you can still satisfy other customers as their requests pop up.

Permalink Reply by Joseph Robertson on April 26, 2009 at 11:26am

Nice Post Michael. I like your theme.

michael Phillips said:

If your going to call it a cappuccino then please try and fight the good fight and serve it as a 5oz. In our shop (Intelligentsia chicago in the states) the menu only lists cappuccino, no different sizes. We do get people who see the drink and are a bit surprised and ask for something larger and we oblige. If they specifically ask for a large cap from the get go we explain the cap that we normally offer and try to guide them towards a latte if they want something that size but ultimately we make them the drink they want. One of the problems we have had is that we used to offer a wider range of drinks and larger sizes. Once we realized that wasn't the kind of coffee we wanted to make, it was very difficult to take the option away from our customers. If your just starting out then do yourself a favor and keep your menu small. You can always add more sizes/items to it and you can also simply make people what they ask for. If you only have drinks you are excited about printed on a menu then people will gravitate there and you can still satisfy other customers as their requests pop up.

Permalink Reply by The Beat Cafe on April 27, 2009 at 11:35am

We offer only 2 sizes as well small and large 12 and 16
and for real consumers we have a 8oz for in house only...this is america and unfortunately, the masses control the consumption. our friend from chicago is either lucky or has a very small base, with alot of confusion. do not give too many choices hard on your help and the customer they barely know what they are ordering anyway

Permalink Reply by Dav on April 27, 2009 at 1:09pm

Thanks a lot gents. My initial feeling was that 5 oz might be tad too small. But I do want to supply 2 drinks, keeping the espresso/milk ratios the same. So a regular at 5-5.5oz and a large 10-11oz. I will be surrounded by the main chains, all offering slightly different sizes and slightly different prices.

Cheers,

Dav

Permalink Reply by michael Phillips on April 27, 2009 at 5:17pm

the two sizes thing is fine but my advice is still have that apply only to your latte. What is a 12 oz cap if not just a foamy latte anyways. It all depends on what you are trying to make your shop to be. If you are surrounded by chains with larger sizes of all sorts of drinks it is a safe bet you wont beat them at their own game. Your best bet is to focus on quality first and accommodation second. London seems to have some positive trends underway with coffee and chances are if you stick to a traditional menu you will find your in good company. Go to a few shops that offer only traditional size caps and see what they think, I bet you will be surprised. I can point to several shops around the US that hold this standard and they all easily have some of the highest customer traffic in the country.

Permalink Reply by Dav on April 28, 2009 at 5:08am

Hi Michael,

Thanks for the reply and advice. It's funny you should mention cafes in London, because that is where Im going in a few hours time specifically to look at some cool funky independent cafes. I would love to look at some websites of those cafes you mentioned in the US.

Cheers,

Dav (P.S. congratulations on your achievement in the WBC)

Permalink Reply by Thomas Ervin-Ward on July 13, 2009 at 11:01pm

I have just found lids for my 4oz cups. Takeaway babychinos and piccolo lattes!

Permalink Reply by Michael Canton on August 20, 2009 at 11:35am

OK, I know many people are having trouble figuring what size mugs to offer customers regarding a specific number of shots, so I'm going to ask for detailed information from all of you regarding the following drinks, # of shots and what size mug:

latte: single, double & triple
Cappuccino: single, double & triple
Mocha: single, double & triple

What size mugs would you put this 9 individual drinks in? I appreciate all your help on this!

Permalink Reply by Robert Williams on October 25, 2009 at 7:59pm

Assuming your small, medium and large is 8oz, 12oz, 16oz respectively. I would have to say a double ristretto in the 8oz, quad ristretto in the 16oz and throw out the 12oz for being difficult. ;) But you get the idea, in 180ml - 220ml, a double ristretto has the right curve to cut through a milk based drink of that size. In my shop, I've removed 12oz as an option from the get-go. It certainly takes some by surprise, but I'm one to cut against the grain and make it work.

But this is all for take-away cups. In house, we don't pull single shots unless for an espresso. Make sure you keep it balanced, grab your house blend, grab those three sizes and make all the variations of the drink and check for yourself what works and what doesn't.

Michael Canton said:

OK, I know many people are having trouble figuring what size mugs to offer customers regarding a specific number of shots, so I'm going to ask for detailed information from all of you regarding the following drinks, # of shots and what size mug:
latte: single, double & triple Cappuccino: single, double & triple Mocha: single, double & triple

What size mugs would you put this 9 individual drinks in? I appreciate all your help on this!