Australians Drink Coffee While Driving – The Rise of 'Drive-Through Coffee Culture'

Central News Agency Sydney Correspondent, Chiu Te-Chen

2026/6/14 22:08 (Updated 6/14 22:26)

Recommended Reading

When Taiwanese visit a café, they usually sit down to drink coffee while reading, chatting, working on laptops, or scrolling through their phones, often staying for extended periods. As a result, many cafés in Taiwan now set time limits for customers. For those who don’t visit cafés, many households have drip-bag coffee, allowing them to experience the ritual of hand-brewed coffee at home.

The reporter in Sydney has experienced this multiple times—whenever meeting recently arrived Taiwanese friends or relatives, they are often shocked, exclaiming: 'Why don’t Australian supermarkets sell drip-bag coffee?' or expressing confusion about which café to visit for pilgrimage and photo-check-ins.

So, 'How do Australians actually drink coffee?'

In reality, most Australians drink coffee while driving. Selling coffee in Australia doesn’t necessarily require a location with high foot traffic—'vehicle traffic' may be even more important.

A prime example is BP, Australia’s largest chain of petrol stations, which offers beverages made by certified baristas. Employees at BP petrol stations must attend training and pass an exam before starting work—only after obtaining barista certification can they begin their job. This practice has been in place for over 20 years, due to the large number of drivers who stop briefly to buy coffee before continuing their journey.

Beyond large chain petrol stations, independent roadside coffee stalls have also emerged, targeting the 'drive-by coffee' market. These stalls can be found in remote rural areas or along overgrown roadside patches—anywhere with sufficient vehicle traffic, business is assured.

Notably, Australia is vast and sparsely populated. It’s common for Australians to drive over ten kilometers (or even longer) without encountering a single store. Roadside coffee stalls have emerged specifically to serve this unique Australian lifestyle. One cannot claim to have truly experienced Australian coffee culture without having bought coffee from such a roadside stall.

Since most customers are passing by in cars, stall owners often chat with them while preparing their coffee to avoid boredom. The owner’s opening line is typically: 'Where are you headed?' In other words, if you’ve been asked this while buying coffee, you’ve already experienced a piece of Australian coffee culture. (Editor: Chang Chih-Hsuan) 1150614

Stand with the truth—every contribution supports the defense of press freedom.

Download the CNA 'Breaking News' app to stay updated in real time.

Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, broadcast, or transmitted without authorization.