🗓️ February 17 is Café Au Lait Day ☕

Unlike a latte which uses espresso, a traditional café au lait is made using strong dark-roast drip coffee mixed with equal parts scalded milk.

The cost of goods for a café au lait is significantly lower than an espresso-based drink because it doesn’t require the same level of equipment maintenance or specialised barista labour.

Market this as the work-from-cafe fuel. In 2026, with hybrid work being the norm, offer a café au lait and pastry bundle to encourage longer dwell times during mid-morning hours.

This fills seats during the dead time between breakfast and lunch. Because this drink is high-speed and high-margin, it is perfect for capturing the morning rush demographic efficiently.

Do you prefer the intensity of an espresso or the balance of a café au lait?