We all love a little caffeinated treat. In the age of romanticizing our morning coffee runs, coffee shops are stepping up their marketing game to put their names on the radar. 

Whether it’s coming up with out-of-the-box drinks or creating a viral social media trend, a few shops are making their mark and developing new strategies.

Coffee Shop Marketing: What’s the tea?

The coffee industry has grown exponentially since the pandemic. Sales are on the rise and people are choosing to support smaller, independent shops versus the chain stores that we all know and love.

In 2025, 62% of Americans drink coffee daily. So out of all the shops, how do you convince those coffee drinkers that yours is the one they should spend their money at?

Coffee shop marketing is playing a role in businesses' success now more than ever. Social media presence is creating a new way to market to prospective customers, and with an ever changing algorithm and constant flow of new trends, the possibilities of how to grow your shop and make your mark are endless.

A few shops in particular have put their name on the map in the coffee industry and are inspiring others to get creative with how they engage their consumers.

The Nitro Bar

What drink would you make for someone that hasn't slept in 24 hours and has a presentation due at noon? 

The Nitro Bar was founded by Audrey Finocchiaro and Sam Lancaster in 2016 and has since opened 3 locations in their home state of Rhode Island. Known for their crazy interview questions and out of pocket responses to customer behavior, The Nitro Bar has become a viral sensation.

It’s not traditionally acceptable to cuss and make fun of customers as a means of marketing, but this genius team has shown that people love transparency and relatability.

The team is showcasing their product while simultaneously grabbing attention through their witty questions like “What is your favorite drink to make?” and “What would you make for someone showing up to work violently hungover?”.

The candid and blunt spirit that The Nitro Bar showcased online kept people coming back not just for coffee, but for funny conversations that they could relate to. As they continue to grow their online presence, they are starting a new wave of coffee shop marketing and showing other shops that it’s okay to be a little rough around the edges.

BeCaffeinated 

If you got the chance to throw coffee at your boss you’d do it too, right?

Everybody loves a good laugh. When an original idea is so funny that it starts a viral trend, you know you’ve hit the marketing bullseye. That is exactly what BeCaffeinated managed to do.

A small drive-thru hut local to Chattanooga, Tennessee recently reached virality by creating a trend that had not just coffee shops, but restaurants, bars, and other businesses participating. Their “throwing lattes at my boss to see if he can guess the flavor video” took off creating a series on their social platforms and gaining millions of views on each video.

People want to consume content that makes them laugh. Using humor as a form of coffee shop marketing is a strategy that will never go out of style. It’s always refreshing to see people at work laughing, having fun, and sharing it with others.

Blank Street

The phone sips first! 

Don’t you love it when your fun little drink looks so good it could have its own Instagram feature? Blank Street is guaranteed to make the photo dump.

Blank Street originated in the heart of Brooklyn, New York and brings its charm to New York, Boston, DC, and across the pond to London. Serving a variety of coffee and matcha, each drink is certified Instagram worthy.

Many coffee shops work towards creating an aesthetic feed. Blank Street uses high-quality images and current marketing trends like Guerrilla marketing to stand out against its competitors. While many places lean into humor and relatability, shops like Blank Street appeal to those people wanting to try something new that matches their aesthetic.

Black Rock Coffee Bar

Bright, bold, and broad.

Black Rock Coffee Bar is in a different league from your traditional Pinterest coffee shop. Drive-thru coffee and beverage stores are on the rise, and each brand is having to come up with ways to let their customers know that they are the best.

Currently exclusive to the Midwest and the West Coast, Black Rock has the spotlight for their vibrant feeds and variety of products that they offer.

Expanding beyond coffee, they serve a plethora of customizable energy drinks, perfect for the person who loves a little pick-me-up but maybe isn’t the biggest coffee fan. 

Their take on coffee shop marketing is an emphasis on bright and bold drinks that catch your eye immediately. They have also brought in influencers for collaborations reaching an even wider audience.

Black Rock is setting a standard for shops similar to their business model. Enticing, vibrant, and fun energy is how they pique their consumers' interest. 

It has become a common theme amongst Gen Z that visiting a coffee shop to work or just grab a treat is one of the highlights of their days. Some even note that visiting their favorite shop is the only human interaction that they get in a day due to a rise in remote work.

People are intentional with the places they choose to visit and support now more than ever. 

The coffee industry has quickly become more competitive over the years so coffee shop marketing has stepped up exponentially. There are so many creative ways to stand out and gain traction and new customers.

Relatability, humor, aesthetics, and a menu variety are just a few ways to reach a larger audience. 

The Nitro Bar, BeCaffinated, Blank Street, and Black Rock are great examples of shops that are setting new standards for coffee shop marketing and inspiring new and rising brands.

✍️ Written by Annalise Halley