One Of The First Coffee Chains To Offer A Drive-Thru Was Not One Of The Big Names We Know Today

Starbucks, Dunkin', and countless other fast-growing coffee chains have become so common on every street corner and shopping center, it's hard to imagine life without them. So you might assume it was one of the biggies that pioneered the concept of drive-thru coffee to begin with. But long before the iconic siren logo of Starbucks or the pink and orange of Dunkin' hovered above as baristas served up caffeinated beverages via drive-thru, one couple and their big idea paved the way.

Jim and Patty Roberts of Portland, Oregon, are widely credited as the purveyors of the very first drive-thru coffee spot — a then-revolutionary concept — called Motor Moka, which they opened in 1990. Countless coffee chains would copy and iterate on their concept in the years to come, but Jim and Patty did it first — back in an era when the idea of on-the-go coffee just wasn't a part of mainstream life. 

Jim Roberts, who had no formal training in food and beverage sales or even retail, was more or less a regular guy (and a coffee lover himself) who was inspired to create a then-revolutionary option for folks to grab a good cup of coffee without having to leave their cars, much less walk into a restaurant or sit down in a coffee shop. Despite this, the Roberts — who'd previously opened a more traditional coffee shop called Coffee People back in the '80s, took a big chance on offering coffee in a whole new way. 

At the time, folks could pick up plain coffee at the gas station or with their limited drive-thru breakfast options, but no one — not even the execs from Starbucks who stopped in to tell Jim Roberts as much — believed this approach would work. But like any good tale of ingenuity, the Roberts took a chance and proved the skeptics wrong. 

At Motor Moka's peak, there were around a dozen locations in the Portland area. The business even had its own quirky radio station, a poetry publication, and a steadfast, loyal community who put the company's stickers on their cars. People weren't just fans of the convenience; folks also flocked to Motor Moka for the truly high-quality espresso, brewed fast.

Since the 1990s, we've only become more convenience-oriented and as coffee obsessed as ever. So it would have made sense if Motor Moka had become the go-to chain on every street corner. As Motor Moka and its sister company, Coffee People, grew, they brought in MBAs who advised a series of business moves — name changes, reverse mergers, and more, all of which ultimately failed to keep it afloat. So the next time you're in the coffee drive-thru line, tip your to-go cup to the OG that paved the way and say a quiet thank you to Motor Moka.