On March 16, Small World Coffee launched new menu items at its Nassau Street location, including several new breakfast sandwiches and other food options. In the coming weeks, Small World will also roll out a new grab-and-go line at both of its locations. New seasonal menus are also in the works.
In an interview with The Daily Princetonian, Jessica Durrie, the founder and owner of Small World Coffee, discussed the recent changes, which are among the most significant in the cafe’s 32-year history.
“We’ve made so many changes over the years, but this particular chapter wasn’t a reinvention — it was a realignment,” Durrie said.
The additions include new breakfast sandwiches at the Nassau location. Customers can expect more experimental seasonal menus to come.
“When we decided to reinvent the menu, we decided to lean into the breakfast sandwich,” Durrie said of the updated menu. The new sandwich menu includes four options: “The Daily Driver,” “The Potato Driver,” “The Turkey Driver,” and “The Jersey Driver.”
“We wanted to increase the flavor, so now every driver comes with a different dipping sauce,” Durrie said.
In addition to the drivers, “The Crispy Hippie Bowl,” a potato chickpea cake on marinated kale with tater tots, onions, and pickles, is also a new item on the menu. “We … created it not to replace [the burrito], but as a placeholder for the burrito, and we brought tater tots in because they’re just fun,” Durrie added.
A Princeton local shared her experience trying part of the new menu.
“I’ve only had the bakery items, so when I saw the breakfast sandwiches, I was definitely interested,” Saishree Ehupathi, who heard about the menu changes through her Small World email subscription, told the ‘Prince.’ “I’ll definitely try this again; I also want to try the Potato Driver,” she added.
Customers can also expect to see additions to the drink menu at both Small World locations.
“I’m going to be building a production kitchen for our bulk beverages, and we are going to be creating a beverage lab,” Durrie said. She said she hopes that this will allow Small World to “play around” with the seasonal menu.
Durrie also shared that a grab-and-go line for cold food will be implemented at both cafes.
Several customers shared their thoughts on the forthcoming grab-and-go line at the Witherspoon Street location.
“I think I would come more often with a grab-and-go line, especially because the [Frist Campus Center] late meal hours were reduced,” said Joshua Chun ’26, who mentioned that he doesn’t go to Small World often.
“Sometimes I don’t get to the dining hall by 2 p.m., so I would definitely get food here,” said Ally Robertson ’26, who frequents Small World almost daily.
“Honestly, it depends on the options and the price and how much food they’ll give,” Sam Yamashita ’26 said when asked if she would be interested in a grab-and-go menu. Yamashita goes to Small World around once per week, but noted that she has been going less because of high prices.
Over spring break, Small World conducted a series of kitchen renovations at the Nassau location to accommodate the new menu items. “The spatial constraints are real — it’s a game of Tetris back there each day,” Durrie said about their current space.
Durrie noted that these changes come at a time when Small World, alongside many other businesses, is adapting to new economic realities.
“We’ve been in business for 32 years, so we’ve always had to focus on increasing costs and how we can operate to absorb that as best we can,” said Durrie, adding that coffee prices continue to fluctuate in light of tariffs and difficulties in the shipping industry. “There are an incredible amount of external factors that we have no control over,” she added.
While Small World had increased prices for certain menu items last year, Durrie noted that “most coffee prices … have started to come down since their 2025 all time high.”
“The prices are starting to come down a little bit, still not to the 2024 levels. I don’t think they ever will come back down to that … we try not to be reactive, we try to figure out a way to be resilient over time because [coffee] is a global product,” shared Durrie.
The production of the 2.0 phase took over five months, with employees working tirelessly to complete it. “Even though we’re all working really, really hard right now, everybody is super energized and connected in the process,” Durrie said, describing the 2.0 phase as “a growth spurt” for the shop.
Durrie emphasized the “symbiotic relationship” between the shop and its customers from the University community. “We couldn’t do it without you, and we accept the Tiger Card here, so get your steps in,” she said.
Giselle Moreno is a News contributor from Dallas. She can be reached at gm2076[at]princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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