Dutch Bros has built a menu that offers customers more than 40 flavors across coffee, energy drinks, teas and sodas with a wide range of mix-ins and toppings. And it’s those customers themselves who have inspired many of those options.
“Their feedback gives us great insight into what people are craving, what they’re moving away from, and which limited time offerings might resonate most,” said Tana Davila, CMO at Tempe, Arizona-based Dutch Bros. “Menu innovation starts by listening to our guests and broistas.”
Those broistas—the team members who craft the beverages and interact with guests—“are the heartbeat of the brand,” Davila added. They forge those connections and do a lot of listening themselves.
“We turn those insights into drinks that feel both new yet familiar and on-brand to our customers,” said Davila. But the team also taps into trends beyond the industry, “looking at foodservice and CPG [consumer packaged goods] globally as well as at mixology to inspire our creativity,” she explained.
Dutch Bros has been on the leading edge of two of today’s overriding drink trends: cold beverages and customization. Before the company jumps on a trend, the team does a reality check to make sure it aligns with the brand and experience. “At the end of the day, we want to execute anything we do really, really well and stay true to who we are as a brand, delivering the speed, quality, and service our customers have come to expect,” said Davila. “When that clicks, we’ll move quickly on those trends, especially when it’s a suggestion from our customers.”
She cites protein as a good example. Back in 2024, Dutch Bros introduced protein milk, as it fit into the “better for you” category and also won on flavor. “We did just that and quickly saw positive feedback from our customers. Two years later, protein continues to be a category that performs well for us,” said Davila. And now other beverage concepts have followed suit.
But indulgence is also a draw in the beverage segment, and that’s getting some play on the menu too. “On the coffee side, we brought back our Banana Bread Mocha—a perennial favorite from our secret menu, which people love because it feels comforting and familiar. And since customization is such a big part to who we are, customers could make it their own, whether a latte, mocha, or freeze, with soft top, drizzles, or other mix-ins,“ Davila said.
Nostalgia is on the menu with this LTO.
Nostalgic flavors are also a source of inspiration. The chain’s March promotion, “Back to Cool,” features three throwback beverages. The Fruit Punch Rebel, an energy drink with a blend of orange, cherry and pineapple juice, taps into the sweet-tart candy craze popular 20 years ago; it even comes with a sour candy straw. Kool Blue Fizz embraces retro watermelon and blue raspberry flavors and is finished off with mango boba for textural punch.
And on the decadent side, the Brown Butter Chocolate Chip pairs brown butter and chocolate chip flavors, topped with a drizzle of brown butter sauce. The sippable treat is finished with Dutch Bros’ signature Soft Top in a brown butter chocolate chip variation, then sprinkled with chocolate crunch.
“At the end of the day, we’re always trying to strike that balance between something new and something people already love, while keeping it fun and true to Dutch Bros,” said Davila.
Where does she think guests will steer the menu next?
“We've definitely seen customers branch out, especially into energy. We introduced our Rebel energy back in 2012, and it continues to grow with the brand,” Davila said. “Today, customized energy drinks make up about 25% of our business, which says a lot about where customer preferences are going.”
Dutch Bros is also noticing that people are mixing it up more—coffee one day, energy or lemonade the next—with 90% of orders cold beverages. “Coffee’s not going anywhere, but people are exploring more, and we’re built for that,” she said.
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