By Jojo Wertheimer

People’s Place has a secret — and they’re ready to tell. It’s a secret that’s haunted the hallowed hall of Hendricks Chapel for generations of students, a whisper of coffee drinkers past: the People’s Place secret menu.

The secret menu is an arsenal of seven special drinks, advertised through the years only by word of mouth. Now, before you ask, the answer is no — despite being Syracuse University’s premier food magazine, even we here at Baked don’t know exactly what’s on the menu. After all, it’s one of SU’s best-kept secrets. 

However, we do know a few things. Of course, we’ll share! 

Each drink on the menu is $2 and consists of a creative mixture of People’s Place ingredients. We’re aware of two secret menu items: the Chai Guy, a delicious mix of chai tea, hot coffee, and chocolate milk, and the Mocha Mint Tea, composed of mint tea, hot chocolate, and coffee. 

While the origins of the secret menu are unclear, unfortunately so is its future. According to SU junior and People’s Place employee, Sarah Csobaji, the secret menu has become less popular over time as students in the know have graduated and moved off campus. The menu may be on its way to extinction if we don’t act now. 

“It’s not a big thing anymore,” Csobaji said. She noted she hasn’t been asked to make a drink from the secret menu since last spring. “I’m so tired of just making a bunch of black coffees.” 

In fact, because most of the public doesn’t know what’s on the secret menu, it’s become more of an inspirational idea with the possibility of discovery than an actual, tangible thing. It’s a secret code, a vessel of information with just enough meaning and tradition to make the student barista’s eyes light up.

So how do you unlock the secret menu, one may ask. Well, according to Csobaji, the key is to get creative.

“Everything looks very simple but there are so many cool [drink] combinations you can make. Get crafty with it.”

Csobaji recommends starting with the basics (a black coffee with milk, if you will), figuring out which ones you like (including the tea selection), and building from there, particularly with the syrups. After much experimenting, she’s perfected her own Peeps order: an iced coffee with brown sugar syrup and a splash of milk. For those blizzarding, windy Syracuse days, she opts for a hot mocha java (hot chocolate and hot coffee) with a small pump of hazelnut. A coffee with a tea bag of your choice also hits the spot, she said. 

So, next time you’re craving a $6 venti peppermint mocha from Starbucks, remember that you don’t have to walk to West Campus for a good drink. You can just order the Peep’s secret Mocha Mint Tea instead. You’ll be doing your part to keep Syracuse University’s best-kept secret alive. 

“If we want to bring back the idea of the secret menu, people need to get more creative with what they order. Put a tea bag in your coffee, just see what happens,” said Csobaji.