Caribou’s $2 Coffee Sounds Great, but Minnesotans May Pay Extra for Add-Ons

A cheap cup of coffee can brighten any morning.

Still, the price on Caribou’s board and the number on your receipt don’t always match.

Here’s how Minnesotans can keep their total in check at Caribou’s counter.

The $2 Small Brewed Coffee

Caribou’s May 7 release launched an Everyday Value Menu of coffeehouse favorites priced at $4 and under.

The menu has four items, at prices from $2 to $4.

The small brewed coffee is $2, before tax.

It’s a rotating mix of regular and seasonal coffees, brewed every hour.

So your cup can change with the season.

That’s the small cup.

If you want a bigger one, check the price before you order.

As of October 2026, the homepage still shows the menu starting at $2.

According to the St. Cloud Times, via AOL, you can order in the store, at the drive-thru or in the Caribou app.

Adding Food to the $2 Coffee

The Blueberry Muffin is $3 on the menu, topped with streusel. Caribou calls it fluffy and loaded with blueberries.

A small Cold Press costs $3.50. That’s Caribou’s cold brew coffee served over ice.

The Bacon Breakfast Sandwich is $4. It’s new.

It has crispy bacon, a cage-free scrambled egg patty and melted cheddar on a toasted English muffin.

Now add it up, before tax. A small brewed coffee and a Blueberry Muffin come to $5.

A small brewed coffee and the sandwich come to $6.

A small Cold Press and a Blueberry Muffin come to $6.50. A Cold Press and the sandwich come to $7.50.

Tax comes on top.

Caribou’s announcement page, dated May 26, 2026, lists the same four prices.

Add-Ons and Customizations

Now for the catch.

Caribou’s announcement and the May 7 release both say customizations or add-ons to beverages may require additional charges.

Notice the word may.

It means your total depends on how you order your cup.

Caribou does offer non-dairy customization at no extra charge.

For any other change to your cup, ask the cashier what it costs before you pay.

Then check each line on your receipt against the price you expected.

We’d read the fine print first, since no place gets everything right.

A Weekday Coffee Habit

Say you grab a coffee every weekday.

A $2 small brewed coffee adds up to $10 before tax across five visits.

The same five visits with a small Cold Press come to $17.50.

That’s weekdays only.

Add a Blueberry Muffin to your brewed coffee each time. Your five visits come to $25.

Pair a small Cold Press with a Blueberry Muffin all five days. You pay $32.50 for the week.

Try a small brewed coffee and the Bacon Breakfast Sandwich instead. Your five visits come to $30.

These totals leave out tax and any add-ons, which Caribou says may cost extra.

Caribou’s Minnesota Roots

Caribou is based in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.

It opened its first location in 1992, according to the company’s release.

That’s over three decades ago.

Today, it has more than 800 coffeehouses worldwide. Your neighborhood spot is one of many.

Fine Print on the Deal

Caribou’s Everyday Value Menu runs at participating locations.

In central Minnesota, the St. Cloud Times lists Caribou locations in St. Cloud, Elk River and Willmar.

Only participating locations offer the menu, so your nearest Caribou may not.

Call ahead.

Caribou Perks promotions don’t apply to the menu either, according to the release.

If you collect Perks, a Perks offer won’t work on a menu item.

In Minnesota, the Department of Revenue says most food and drink an eating establishment sells is taxable.

Any food prepared by the seller is taxable too.

So the tax Caribou leaves out of its menu prices can show up on your receipt.

Caribou’s announcement page calls the Everyday Value Menu a permanent addition to its lineup.

Restaurant Prices Nationwide

Caribou’s menu lands while restaurant prices keep rising.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that limited-service meals rose 3.2 percent over the 12 months ending in August 2026.

Here’s what that looks like.

$100 of limited-service meals from a year ago now costs about $103.20.

That’s a national number for limited-service meals. You can’t read it as a Minnesota number or a Caribou number.

Full-service meals rose 3.5 percent over the same stretch. That puts them 0.3 percentage points ahead of limited-service meals.