Starbucks Size Strategy: The Real Reason Why Starbucks Uses Tall, Grande, and Venti

If there's one thing to know about Starbucks, it's the menu board lingo.

It's tall, grande, or venti when ordering a twin-tailed siren-adorned cup of joe.

Starbucks coffee drinkers don't question the abnormal naming convention; they just comply.

There is a reason behind Starbucks' coffee sizes, and it has everything to do with the brand's Italy-inspired origins. In 1986,

Schultz had taken a trip to Italy in 1983 and was influenced to make his American chain more like the coffee bars he visited there.

The three initial Il Giornale locations were renamed Starbucks in 1987, and their unique sizes stuck

Several years later, in the early '90s, "venti" — Italian for 20, as in 20 ounces — became the new large, and the short size was briefly eliminated.

Since then, the company has introduced a now-discontinued 31-ounce "trenta" size and a three-ounce "demi" for espresso shots.

Today, only four sizes are listed on the menu board: short (8 ounces), tall (12 ounces), grande (16 ounces), and venti (20 ounces)