Ice cream parlour and gelateria menu

Usual sections

An ice cream parlour sells mostly at the counter, with the menu in front of the customer or on the wall behind. The order that works best:

1. Ice cream to order: formats and prices (cup, cone, take-home).
2. Flavours: today’s or this season’s list, with their allergens.
3. Sundaes and specials, if you make sundaes, banana splits or ice cream cakes.
4. Shakes and iced drinks: milkshakes, floats, affogato, slushies.
5. Waffles, crêpes and sweet treats to go with them.
6. Coffee and drinks, if you serve them.

The key is to keep prices and flavours apart. The price depends on the size, not the flavour, so there’s no point repeating it next to every ice cream. And the list of flavours changes more often than the prices: kept separate, you can update it without touching the rest.

Prices by scoop, cup and cone

Use price columns with the label at the top of the section:

Example prices in pounds.

• If a cone costs more than a cup, let the table show it rather than explaining it at the till.
• Take-home tubs (500 ml, 1 litre, or a pint in the US) go on a separate row with their quantity: “500 ml”.
• Extras go in a note under the section: “Toppings +0.80 · Whipped cream +0.60”.
• If a flavour costs more (a pure Sicilian pistachio, for example), say so in its description or the note, not in the main table.

Shakes work the same way: two columns, “Regular” and “Large”, or the size in ml or oz if you’re sure of it.

The list of flavours

Specific names sell better than generic ones: “Sicilian pistachio” or “Madagascan vanilla” say more than “pistachio” or “vanilla”. Add a description only when it’s needed: “Sorbet”, “With cinnamon and honeycomb”.

If a flavour is your speciality or this week’s new one, feature it with the highlight box. One or two at most: if everything is featured, nothing stands out.

Use tags for vegan sorbets and gluten-free flavours, which is what people ask about most at the counter. If you rotate flavours often, keep the permanent ones on the menu and announce the seasonal ones on a board or an Instagram story.

Allergens in an ice cream parlour

Few venues have more allergens per square metre. Go through them flavour by flavour:

• Milk: almost all creamy ice creams. Fruit sorbets don’t usually contain it, but check each recipe.
• Eggs: custard bases made with yolks, French vanilla, and flavours with meringue, such as Eton mess.
• Tree nuts: pistachio, hazelnut, almond, walnut, praline.
• Peanuts: separate from tree nuts. Watch peanut butter swirls and toppings.
• Soybeans: lecithin in chocolate coatings and many wafers.
• Gluten: cones, wafers, cookie flavours and most crunchy toppings.
• Sesame: tahini or halva flavours and sesame brittle.

Traces are the tricky part. A scoop moving from one tub to the next, toppings sprinkled over the counter or the same waffle iron for everything can carry an allergen into a flavour that doesn’t contain it. If you handle nuts in the same kitchen, say so in a general note, as the template does.

And remember that the cone is part of the product. If the flavour has no gluten but the cone does, customers need to see it on the cone row. If you have gluten-free cones, store and serve them separately, and say so on the menu.

Writing tips

• Few words per line. It’s read standing up, in a queue, often with children tugging at a hand.
• Prices large and aligned. In the size table, it’s the first thing people look for.
• No odd abbreviations: “2 scoops” rather than “2sc”.
• One price format throughout: if you write “3.20”, don’t mix it with “£3.20” in another section.

Format and style

• A4 on the counter or the terrace tables, in two columns: sizes and flavours on one side, shakes and treats on the other.
• A3 poster on the wall behind the counter, to be read from the queue.
• 16:9 screen if you have a TV above the display cabinet: it comes from the same content.
• A5 for small tables.

The template’s style is Memphis, pop and colourful, made for ice cream parlours and casual venues. If you want something more seaside, Beach Bar works very well; for a family-friendly parlour, try Playtime or Brunch. You’ll find every option in menu templates.

Make it in MenuDesign

Open the ice cream menu template, change the sizes and prices, add your flavours and mark their allergens. Download the PDF for the counter and, from the same content, the A3 poster or the image for the screen. Free, no sign-up, and saved in your browser for when this week’s flavours change.