We recently wrote about broader cafe menus and what they mean for your cafe. Coffee remains at the center, but customers expect other drink categories to be there, too: matcha, craft energy, and signature drinks are mainstays.
But that doesn’t mean that every cafe menu looks as it did before, but bigger. What we’re seeing instead is how owners are putting their own spin on these categories to create menus that are just as unique as they are.
Sarah Irvin spent eight years working in a veterinary hospital. It’s no surprise that during this time, she never once pulled a shot of espresso for a customer. Flash forward to today. Sarah the owner of The Frenchie Fix in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. She started serving coffee at pop-ups in September 2025 and recently celebrated her first year in business.
How did Sarah make the jump from working in a veterinary hospital to owning a mobile coffee business?
More and more of our graduates are starting their coffee businesses as a mobile coffee cart. Why? A cart is the most affordable way to launch a coffee business, with about a $7,500 to $15,000 startup investment. It’s a business model with less risk, but not with less strategy. Every decision about your cart, equipment, menu, and water system affects how fast you can serve and how smoothly an event runs. What’s at stake? Your bottom line.