The History of the Coffee Stand in America

It may seem like the idea of the coffee stand has been around forever in the U.S., and that is certainly true for almost all of us walking the planet at this time. However, in fact, the modern coffee stand is 162 year old, dating back to Civil War time.

The original coffee shop.

The Original Cafe Du Monde Coffee Stand was established in 1862 in the New Orleans French Market. The Cafe is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It closes only on Christmas Day and on the day an occasional Hurricane passes too close to New Orleans.

The Original Cafe Du Monde is a traditional coffee shop. Its menu consists of dark roasted Coffee and Chicory, Beignets, White and Chocolate Milk, and fresh squeezed Orange Juice. The coffee is served Black or Au Lait. Au Lait means that it is mixed half and half with hot milk. Beignets are square French -style doughnuts, lavishly covered with powdered sugar. In 1988 Iced Coffee was introduced to the cafe. Soft drinks also made their debut that year.

The original drive-through coffee stand.

The year was 1990. The place, Portland, Oregon.

In retrospect, drive-thru coffee seems obvious. These days, if a Starbucks or Dutch Bros., doesn't have a drive-thru, you're annoyed you have to get out of your car. But 27 years ago, when Coffee People co-founder Jim Roberts launched the world's first drive-thru coffeehouse, Motor Moka, across the street from the brand-new Oregon Convention Center, no one had seen anything like it.

At the dawn of the '90s, America was still drinking coffee made from a percolator, starting each day around the kitchen table with a cup of Folgers black . Motor Moka, the "motorist's espresso bar," confounded all expectations when it opened in Portland.

A word about Madres Espresso

Which leads us to Madres Espresso, locally owned and operated, with our flagship coffee stand on Cooper Point Road, and our newest on Pacific Avenue, two great locations, one singular dedication to great service.