Middle School Math Project – Real World Coffee Shop Activity

In this real-world middle school math project, students work together to create and run their own coffee shop, using math to make decisions every step of the way. They apply decimals, unit rate and geometry as they go.

What students do

Students take on roles within their group and build a coffee and donut shop from the ground up. They:

• Create and name their own donut recipes
• Calculate ingredients for multiple batches
• Determine total costs and unit rates
• Figure out pricing to make a profit
• Design a menu, flyer and shop display

By the end, each group is running a business.

What’s included

• Student booklet
• Group booklet
• Recipe cards
• Warm-up activity
• Extension (unit rate)
• Teacher directions and group directions

Everything is organized so the project is easy to prep, and you can run all of it without creating anything additional.

Skills covered

• Decimal operations
• Fraction operations
• Area, circumference and volume
• Unit rates and cost analysis

For example, students calculate ingredient costs and scale recipes across dozens of items.

How it works

• Students work in groups (recommended: 3 per group)
• Each student has a role (sales, baking, display)
• The work is a mix of independent and collaborative tasks
• The project builds toward a final “shop” setup and presentation

The structure keeps students accountable and still calls for teamwork. Because students have to justify their decisions, their conversations go deeper.

When to use it

• As an end-of-unit project
• As a review with application
• As an end-of-year activity

It works especially well when students are over worksheets but still need to use math.

Quick facts

• Grades: 6–8
• Answer key: included

Bundles and related resources

This project is available in the 6th Grade Math Curriculum Resources Mega Bundle.

Free resources

Get my free Warm Up Slides templates.

Terms of use

By purchasing this product, you own a license for one teacher only for personal use in their own classroom. Licenses are non-transferable and therefore can not be passed from one teacher to another. If the teacher who purchased this license leaves the classroom or changes schools, the license and materials leave with that teacher. No part of this resource is to be shared with colleagues or used by an entire team, grade level, school or district without purchasing the correct number of licenses. If you are a coach, principal or district interested in transferable licenses that would accommodate yearly staff changes, please contact me for a transferable license quote at lindsay@beyondtheworksheet.com.

© Beyond the Worksheet. Please note – all material included in this resource belongs to Beyond the Worksheet Inc. By purchasing, you have a license to use the material but you do not own the material. You may not upload any portion of this resource to the internet in any format, including school/personal websites or network drives unless the site is password protected and can only be accessed by students, not other teachers or anyone else on the internet.