In a bar or restaurant, very few things spend more time in front of a guest than a coaster. It sits under every drink, it ends up in photos, it gets turned over during conversations and it sometimes goes home in a pocket. For a small cost per unit, a custom coaster puts your venue on every table, every night. Here are nine ideas that work, and how to plan your order.
1. Your logo, done properly
The simplest idea is still the strongest. A clean logo on a strong background makes your venue instantly recognisable in photos and on social media. Keep it large, keep the background bold and resist adding too much around it. If your logo is wide, a square coaster gives it more room. If it is round or compact, a round coaster feels natural.
2. A QR code to your menu
Many venues keep a digital menu alongside the printed one. A QR code on the coaster gives guests a second way in, without waiting for a menu or a server. Print it at least 25 mm wide, dark on light, with a short line such as "Scan for the menu". Our free QR code generator exports a print-ready file.
3. Reviews and Instagram
The moment a guest is enjoying a drink is a good moment to ask for a review or a follow. Point a QR code to your Google review page or your Instagram profile, and add your handle in clear type so people can find you later. One clear request works better than a list of every platform you are on.
4. Your signature drink
Feature a house cocktail, a local beer or a seasonal special on the coaster. A short name and a simple illustration can spark the question every bar wants to hear: "What is that one?"
5. Happy hour and weekly events
Quiz night, live music, a weekly tasting or a happy hour all fit on a coaster. Keep it to the event name, the day and the time. Because coasters are used every day, a recurring event printed on them keeps reminding regulars to come back.
6. Wi-Fi details
It is one of the questions staff hear most. Printing the network name, or a QR code that connects guests to your Wi-Fi, saves time during busy service and is a small, useful courtesy. If your password changes often, a QR code that opens a page you can update is the more flexible option.
7. Seasonal and limited runs
Use your core design for everyday service and add short runs for special moments: summer terraces, Christmas, a local festival or an anniversary. Orders start at 100 coasters, so a seasonal design does not need a big budget.
8. Co-branded coasters with breweries and drinks brands
Breweries and drinks brands have supplied coasters to bars for generations. A co-branded design puts both names on the table and can be printed in large quantities for distribution across many venues. If you are a drinks brand planning a run for several bars, our business page explains how we handle larger and recurring orders.
9. One look across several locations
Groups with more than one venue can keep a single design across every site for a consistent brand, or adapt a version for each location with its own name or local detail. Ordering in larger quantities lowers the price per coaster, which helps when you supply several venues at once.
How many coasters do you need?
A simple way to estimate your order:
- Count the drinks you serve on a typical day.
- Decide how often a coaster is replaced. Some venues give one per drink, others one per guest or per table.
- Multiply by the number of days you want the order to last.
For example, a venue serving 200 drinks a day with one coaster per drink would use about 6,000 coasters a month. Larger runs bring the price per coaster down, so many venues order for several months at a time. You can compare quantities on our bulk pricing page, and order anything from 100 to 250,000 coasters.
Made for busy service
Hey Coasters are printed in full colour on 470 g absorbent beer mat board, a thick material made specifically for drinks. It lies flat, feels solid in the hand and takes the condensation from cold glasses. Bold, simple artwork helps too: a design with strong shapes still reads well when a glass covers part of it.
Design tips for hospitality coasters
- Design for a seated distance: big logo, few words, strong contrast.
- Keep text and QR codes at least 4 mm inside the cut line.
- Use the original logo file, not an image saved from your website.
- Check how your design looks with a glass on top of it.
Our artwork and file upload guide covers sizes, bleed and resolution in detail, with free templates.
Quick answers
Are paper coasters good enough for daily service?
Yes. Our coasters are printed on 470 g beer mat board, the thick, absorbent board made for bar and restaurant use.
Can I order different designs for different venues?
Yes. Upload each design separately in Studio, from 100 coasters per design. For several designs or venues at once, request a quote on our business page.
Where do you deliver?
We ship to 30 European countries: all 27 EU countries, plus the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Norway.
Order in three steps
Upload your artwork in Hey Coasters Studio, choose round or square and pick your quantity. A person on our team checks every file before print, and custom artwork ships within 5 working days once your file has passed our check. Prefer something ready to go? Browse our coasters for bars and restaurants, which ship within 2 working days.
