LINCOLN PARK — In a world that seems to gain more lactose or dairy avoiders by the day, the options for non-dairy milk substitutes are rapidly expanding. The latest craze is oat milk, and no coffee shop understands that better than Lincoln Park cafe Java World. As of this week, Java World has officially replaced their entire beverage and food menu with just a cup of oat milk.
Finally, a coffee shop that gets it!
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Incorporating the ever-so-popular oat milk into a coffee shop’s menu is no new feat, as even big chains like Peet’s and Starbucks have begun featuring oat milk drink options. But replacing the entire menu to include only oat milk is a bold move that was unheard of before Java World. Java World’s menu, which used to feature an assortment of espresso drinks, coffees, teas, and an extensive panini selection, now only has three items: Small Oat Milk, Medium Oat Milk, and Large Oat Milk.
“Ultimately, it’s just about giving the customers what they want,” explains Joe Krempf, 40, the general manager at Java World. “We noticed a trend shortly after adding oat milk to our menu. Everybody was suddenly ordering drinks with more and more oat milk and less and less coffee. One day we ran out of oat milk and one of our regulars literally started foaming at the mouth when we told him.”
A few weeks into offering oat milk on their menu, Java World was having a hard time keeping up with customer demand.
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“We started having days where we would run out of oat milk entirely while barely selling any coffee,” laughs Krempf. “That’s when I realized this was real.”
What a revelation! And so far, the change seems to be paying off.
“We used to get 50–70 customers a day,” says Krempf. “Now, we have a line of 200 or more from open to close. Some people even camp out overnight to be first in line the next morning.”
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“Oat milk,” says Greg Lumps, 57, a regular at Java World. “Oat milk oat milk oat milk oat milk oat milk oat milk the milk of the oat oat oat yummy oat milk.” Now that’s a satisfied customer.
Java World, which is going to be renamed “Oat World” by the end of the month, is the first coffee shop to really commit to providing the oat milk experience that customers are craving. Other coffee shops, take note!
