Destination Drinks are any specialty or signature beverage that turns a cafe into a destination. Whether it’s a chilled lemonade for summer or an autumnal latte for the fall, these drinks help drive new customer traffic and create new regulars.
Interview by Jordan Michelman and La Marzocco USA.
The city of Chicago is always worth a closer look, and home to one of America’s great coffee scenes. No two cafes here are alike, and at Fat Miilk—a fiercely Vietnamese coffee bar on N. Broadway, in Uptown—founder Lan Ho is planting a flag for quality robusta coffee served in a modern style.
Everything about this brand is big, bold, and vivid, from the cafe design and branding to the flavors of the Destination Drinks on their menu. Lan and her team have built something special in Chicago with their custom Strada, and it’s our pleasure to learn more in this candid interview—you can learn even more from here by spending time on their website and ordering some coffee yourself for home.
Hi Lan Ho—thank you so much for talking with us. Just as a jump-off, tell us more about Fat Miilk: when did the brand start, and how do you describe what you do to folks who are unfamiliar?
Fat Miilk is a Robusta specialty coffee brand. We launched the company in September 2020, focusing on showcasing Vietnamese Robusta beans first. Because Vietnam is the #1 producer of Robusta, and being Vietnamese American myself, our team wanted to introduce a unique cultural experience to the masses while creating a lifestyle brand rooted in art, design, and bold flavors.
What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about Robusta in general or Vietnamese coffee specifically?
Many people believe Robusta, and more so “Vietnamese coffee,” is linear in taste and experience. At Fat Miilk, we believe that is further from the truth and a huge missed opportunity in the industry. These categories have unique qualities, and we focus on bringing those gems to the forefront. From what we’ve observed, consumers never knew these flavor profiles existed, and it’s exciting to see them make the shift.
Your design and branding are so gorgeous — talk to me about what you’re expressing with the aesthetics of Fat Miilk and who you worked with to develop this branding/packaging design/web design / etc. unified look for Fat Miilk.
Fat Miilk is a maverick. We’re a brand rooted in humility, courage, and independence. Our aesthetic expresses free thinking, intelligence, and a rejection of labels. This approach is deeply tied to the history of Vietnam and our family’s experiences of displacement and war. We teamed up with Truffl Agency to bring this story to life. They did an amazing job capturing the rough edges of life and the beauty of perseverance.
Honestly, your cafe looks incredibly cool as well and very cohesive with the wider design world you’ve built. Tell me more about the design of the cafe — who did you work with? What’s different about Fat Miilk than other cafes in Chicago?
The cafe is beautiful as it is efficient. Our streamlined workflow allows a small team to deliver fresh coffee quickly and consistently through strategic placement and automated processes. The systems came first, and the design came second. We worked with the best creative minds in Chicago to mirror the vibes and aesthetics seen on our social media and digital platforms. We intentionally thought through the color scheme, textures, and overall mood when building our first in-person experience.
It seems like you’re doing so much cool stuff in the cafe, incorporating both phin brewers and espresso drinks while also offering batch brew. Talk to me more about the menu, and what’s connecting with your customers: what role does espresso play in the service at your cafe? How much espresso are you serving vs. phin brewer or other methods?
Our goal is to make Robusta accessible. Coffee drinkers will not only have access to the bean but also options on how they like it. Offering various applications is essential to giving consumers multiple ways to enjoy a coffee profile that’s not readily available. We’re known for Phin-drip coffee, especially the Fat Miilk Signature, Vietnamese Robusta beans with condensed milk (Fat Miilk). However, we’re seeing an uptick in espresso-based coffee drinks mainly because people are discovering Robusta beans pair remarkably well with milk products.
The subtle graphic wrap on the back of your La Marzocco espresso machine is so cool — what’s the story there? Where did that design come from?
Our custom graphic is a vinyl of our secondary logo. If you look closely, it reads “Fat Miilk” but in a flowing and dripping manner. The mix of shiny and matte black is true to our brand’s aesthetic.
What’s the most popular signature drink at Fat Miilk’s Chicago café?
The most popular drink at our cafe is the Fat Miilk Signature over ice. We brew our dark Courage roast using a phin drip and mix it with a healthy but not overbearing ratio of sweetened condensed milk. Our specialty drinks, specifically our egg coffee and salted cream coffee, are also fan favorites.
What is the inspiration behind that drink?
We specialize in the robusta species from all different origins. I’m Vietnamese, and Vietnam is the #1 producer of robusta. It was fitting to start there and showcase the coffee culture I grew up loving. The inspiration behind our drinks comes from the classic and bold flavor profiles of Vietnamese coffee and robusta beans.
How do Fat Miilk’s signature drinks bring in new customers?
The entire team, including myself, is Fat Miilk’s target audience. Our signature drinks are a true extension of the people behind the brand, and I get their input before we release any drinks. Ultimately, if we love it, we believe customers will too.
What is the most important thing to consider when designing a new signature coffee drink?
The entire team, including myself, is Fat Miilk’s target audience. Our signature drinks are a true extension of the people behind the brand, and I get their input before we release any drinks. Ultimately, if we love it, we believe customers will too.
The most important thing to us is to deliver on our promise. When in doubt, we lean on being heavy-handed in what we’re trying to communicate. If you’re looking for caffeine, coffee, egg, or sea salt flavor – that’s exactly what you’ll get. We leave any discrepancies or uncertainty out of the equation.
Do you think signature coffee drinks are key to Fat Miilk’s identity? Why or why not?
Yes and no. I believe we have a great product and maintain very high standards as a brand. Signature coffee drinks are a great way to share that and get people excited about our creativity. You can’t have one without the other.
How often do you think a signature coffee drink menu should change?
Execution takes time, and customers need a moment to buy in to what’s new. At the very most, signature drinks could change every quarter, but I take a twice-a-year approach (not accounting for one-off collaborations and partnerships).
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