Custom Milkshake Cups for Diners and Dessert Bars

Sizes and Fill Volumes

Shake menus usually come in two or three sizes, and the cup should hold the full serving plus room for cream and toppings. A regular shake suits a cup around 350 to 400 ml. A large shake needs a cup around 500 ml. Kids' sizes and mini tasters fit in smaller cups of around 250 ml.

If you top shakes with whipped cream, a dome lid adds the headroom, so the cup volume only needs to match the liquid. If you serve shakes without cream, a flat lid keeps the cup lower and easier to stack in a delivery bag.

Make sure the lids you choose fit the rim diameter of each cup size. We supply cups and matching lids together, so they always fit. Dessert bars often match these with ice cream cups in matching sizes for sundaes.

Designing Printed Custom Milkshake Cups

A cup is round, so the design wraps all the way around. Place the logo where it faces the customer when they hold the cup in their right hand, and repeat it on the opposite side so it shows in photos taken from either side. Bold colours and fun patterns suit shake shops; clean, simple designs suit cafés that sell shakes alongside coffee.

Leave space near the top or bottom for a menu tick-box or a sticker if staff mark flavours on the cup. A small QR code linking to your menu or loyalty scheme can sit discreetly near the base.

Avoid placing important text in the area covered by a sleeve or a hand. A short tagline near the rim is seen every time someone takes a sip.

If you sell several flavours, consider a single cup design with a flavour sticker rather than a printed cup for each flavour. It keeps stock simple and lets you change the menu without reprinting cups. You see a free proof on the cup template with the seam marked before printing.

Who Orders Milkshake Cups

American-style diners, burger restaurants and dessert bars are the main buyers. Ice cream parlours serve shakes alongside scoops. Cafés and coffee shops add them to their warm-weather menus, and juice bars use the same cups for smoothies. Cinemas, bowling alleys and family entertainment centres sell shakes at their snack counters, and street food traders use them at markets and festivals.

Delivery-focused dessert brands rely on them heavily, because the cup is often the main branded item a customer sees when the order arrives.

Event caterers and party hire companies order printed shake cups for weddings, birthdays and corporate events with a dessert bar. Juice and smoothie bars order printed juice cups for the same bar in one job.

Keeping Shakes Intact on Delivery

Thick shakes are heavy, and a lid that is not seated properly can pop off when a bag tips. Press the lid firmly around the whole rim and check it before handing the cup over. For delivery, a cup carrier that holds the cup upright makes a big difference.

A sticker seal across the straw hole stops leaks and shows the drink has not been opened. Wrapped straws placed in the bag, rather than in the lid, also prevent spills on the journey.

Avoid filling to the brim. A small gap below the lid reduces pressure on the seal when the shake moves.

Delivery times matter for cold drinks. A shake that sits on the pass waiting for a driver starts to melt and separate, so pack it last, just before collection, and keep it away from hot food in the bag. For delivery orders, cardboard cup holders for delivery keep lids seated.

Pick the Lid Before the Cup Size

Milkshake cups are easier to specify if you start with the lid. A dome lid gives room for whipped cream and toppings; a flat lid with a wide straw hole suits shakes sold through a hatch or sent for delivery with a seal sticker. Once the lid is chosen, pick the capacity: around 350 to 400 ml for a regular and 500 ml for a large covers most dessert bars. Decide between paper, which prints across the whole surface, and clear plastic, which shows the layers. If you deliver, mention it, because a cardboard cup holder for two or four cups stops shakes tipping in a bag.

Send the cup type, sizes, lid style and artwork, and a custom quote comes by email within one working day. The free proof shows the artwork wrapped flat with the seam and the visible front marked. Production takes 4 to 7 working days after approval, cups arrive by tracked courier to UK mainland addresses, and crushed or misprinted cups reported within 10 days are reprinted or refunded.