To write this piece, I spent days looking at every Squarespace template in the Restaurants section and found the ones that would make a coffee business shine. I also discovered a couple of hidden gems in other categories that could work with a few tweaks.
While every coffee shop has its unique vibe, you’ll probably want a template with a warm and pleasing aesthetic, lots of room for quality images of your products and physical space, and maybe even an events calendar to keep your customers up to speed on what’s happening at your shop.
With all that in mind, I selected 4 templates from the Restaurants section and 2 from various other categories that I think will best fit your needs . Since they can’t all be winners, I also made note of 3 templates within the Restaurants section that I’d definitely steer clear of.
Squarespace Restaurant Templates That Make Me Crave a Cup of Coffee
Eldridge – Capture The Essence of A Hometown Cafe
Built with coffee shops in mind, Eldridge is a warm and inviting template that makes you feel right at home. The large cover image lets you showcase your space and gives visitors a feel for your shop from the get-go.
Eldridge puts all your important info up front where visitors can find it. Your story, menu, testimonials, and even a newsletter sign-up are all on the homepage. Social media icons can be found at the top and bottom of each page, making them hard for anyone to miss.
The four pre-built pages include a photo gallery for visitors to get a better idea of your cafe’s vibe, as well as a prominent contact page. The latter features a location plugin as well as a contact form, so customers can easily find you and get in touch.
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Loam – An Artisanal Design with Great E-Commerce Features
Loam’s asymmetrical layout gives it a bit of an edge, letting visitors know right away that something is different about your shop. This is a look that’s difficult to get right on your own, so it’s helpful that Loam does all the heavy lifting for you.
This template comes with an e-commerce plugin built in, so you can sell products directly from your site. It’s a useful feature if you plan to sell coffee beans, mugs, clothing, or other merchandise in addition to your drinks and menu items.
Aside from the traditional About, Menu, and Contact pages, Loam offers a pre-built Blog page, which you could use for special announcements, events, or educational posts about the art and science of coffee.
Juniper – Grab the Viewer’s Attention
Juniper’s simple homepage relies on a huge cover image to hook customers, which gives you a great opportunity to flaunt your shop’s eye-catching space or signature drinks.
This template is somewhat unique in that there’s not a lot of scrolling space – instead, the title text in the header image links straight to your menu and reservations pages.
Speaking of reservations, Juniper comes with the OpenTable plugin, which is very helpful if your coffee shop serves lots of large parties.
The prominent Gallery page once again puts the focus on your imagery. And really, what’s better motivation to head down to a café than photos of an appealing aesthetic and delicious treats?
Pine – Put Your Story Front and Center
Pine is an ideal template if your coffee shop has a particularly heartwarming or interesting tale to tell, since the homepage features a CTA button that links directly to the Our Story page. A Press page lets you highlight quotes from various articles, or even reviews from satisfied customers.
Similar to Loam, Pine uses an asymmetrical layout on the homepage, starting with two large images in the header. Further down, it fits several different menus – brunch, lunch, coffee, etc. – all in one section via a navigation bar for a clean, streamlined feel.
Additionally, there is a specific page for locations with built-in maps functionality, which is useful if you are running multiple shops.
Squarespace Restaurant Templates To Steer Clear Of
Not all of the templates I found in the Restaurants section would work well for a coffee shop. These three are simply too bland, or have unfortunate design elements that don’t quite fit the cafe vibe. If I were you, I’d avoid them altogether.
First up is Tantillo, which feels way too dark and blah. For me, a coffee shop website should be more light and airy – the dark, dramatic backdrop of Tantillo doesn’t hit the mark. And since this template doesn’t have too many features to speak of, changing the background color might not do much to improve the look.
Chotto has the opposite effect, using too much white space and giving the homepage an empty look. On many computer screens, the main image will be cut off, so visitors will basically be greeted by white space and text.
Although Auburn is a beautiful template, I’d be hesitant to use it for a coffee shop, since the design has so much going on. People typically visit coffee shops to slow down and enjoy a moment of simplicity. With all of its sections and features, Auburn feels better suited to a high-end restaurant.
Other Squarespace Templates You Should Consider for Your Coffee Shop
Hester – Bright and Cheerful
Hester appears in the Online Store, Blog, Popular Designs, Local Business, Food, and Shop categories, so it’s fairly versatile – and I think it could easily be tweaked for a cafe. My first thought when I saw Hester is that it is FUN. The bright colors and square layout give it a whimsical feel that would be ideal for a more modern or funky coffee shop.
As Hester is primarily an e-commerce template, it would work well if you plan to sell signature coffee blends and products along with your lattés. It also comes with a blog page and offers ample opportunity to display photos of your products and space. All you would need to do is add a menu page!
Suffolk – Keep It Simple and Classic
Suffolk appears in the Local Business and Real Estate & Properties categories, and it first caught my eye because of the coffee-themed cover photo on the demo page. On further investigation, it turns out to be well suited to any cafe’s needs.
This template has a classic and comforting feel that would work well for a more traditional or folksy coffee shop. With some minor tweaks, such as changing the Book a Room page and CTA button to Book a Table, this template can be a fully functional virtual storefront for your shop.
Take As Much Pride in Your Website As You Do in Your Coffee
More often than not, your website is where visitors will get their first impression of your coffee shop. While you can always customize colors, fonts, and other features, the template you select will go a long way toward making that impression.
If your template doesn’t match your shop, it won’t just cost you time down the line, when you have to redo your website – it’ll also cost you customers now, since your online branding and physical storefront won’t be in sync.
Squarespace in particular can be a bit cumbersome when it comes to template customization, so picking a design that resonates with the feel of your cafe will save you valuable time and energy.
All the templates on this list have all the essential features a coffee shop owner needs, so browse around to see which one best suits your style. After that, it’s up to you to dive in and make your site truly special!
FAQ
Do I need a website for my coffee shop? Absolutely! A website is not only a powerful marketing tool, but can take your coffee shop to the next level with features such as a newsletter signup, online reservations, and an online shop where you can sell coffee-related products and merchandise.What is the best website builder for bakeries?Squarespace has the edge in design, with over 60 visually impressive, versatile templates (and 15 dedicated restaurant templates) to choose from. Wix, on the other hand, has a much larger selection of templates (900+) and a greater degree of flexibility with customization. By the time you’re done editing, you may not even recognize the original template!How can I build a website for free?Wix and SITE123 both offer free plans that will allow you to build a basic and attractive website. For more options, check out our article on the best completely free website builders in 2022 for more information.Which is better, Wix or Squarespace? Squarespace templates are virtually impossible to mess up – plus, they are all mobile-responsive, which means you can create an attractive website without spending a lot of time on design. Wix is great for those who want a bit more creative freedom — and it’s still a simple enough software to learn. For more suggestions, check out our list of the best website builders for 2022. Or, if you have your heart set on either Wix or Squarespace, visit our coupons page to find great deals for starting your site.
