New menu items?

Something I think about from time to time is new menu items. Occasionally customers and friends have asked me whether I have anything new.

On one hand there's decade old shops with their original menus that people still enjoy and admire which are sticking to traditions. On the other, there are shops that periodically introduce new menu items and people look forward to trying new drinks or dishes.

For specialty coffee, a new item might just be a new bean from a different varietal, country or farmer. I try to have a new coffee on rotation every week. But what really gets people excited is seeing new flavours like summer time tropical cold drinks or winter time pumpkin spiced latte.

I think for advancement we must try to do things in new ways or just try new things. But at the same time having new items just for the sake of new is not being responsible. You might have a new customer come only once because he/she didn't like the experimental drink you made.