McCafé Explained: The History of McDonald's Coffee Line

McCafé is McDonald’s coffee and café-drink brand. It began in 1993 in Melbourne, Australia, as a café concept inside McDonald’s restaurants, reached the United States in 2001 with a first location in Chicago, and went national in US restaurants in 2009 with lattes, cappuccinos and mochas. Since then, McCafé has grown into a global sub-brand, a line of packaged coffee for grocery shelves, and one of the main reasons espresso drinks became an everyday fast-food order.

Here is a neutral, fact-checked look at where McCafé came from, how it changed over three decades, and which drinks it helped bring to a mass audience.

Where McCafé Started: Melbourne, 1993

The first McCafé opened in 1993 in Melbourne, in the state of Victoria, Australia. Melbourne already had a strong espresso culture shaped by Italian and Greek immigrants, so the idea of serving barista-style coffee in a separate café area alongside a McDonald’s restaurant fit the city well.

The concept was developed within McDonald’s Australia. Executive Charlie Bell, who later became the company’s global chief executive, and then-chairman James Skinner are often credited with helping introduce it, alongside a regional team who came up with the idea. Early McCafés looked and felt different from the restaurant next door, with display cases of cakes and pastries and espresso made to order.

The format succeeded in Australia and New Zealand. By the early 2000s, McCafé had become one of the largest coffee shop brands in that region by number of outlets.

McCafé Goes Global

Through the 2000s, McCafé spread across McDonald’s markets worldwide, each adapting the menu to local habits. A short timeline of verified milestones:

Outside Australia, McCafé often did not take the form of a separate café counter. In many US restaurants it became a menu line and a brand name for coffee drinks rather than a distinct room with its own staff and pastries.

The US Rollout: Bringing Espresso Drinks to Drive-Thrus

In the United States, McCafé was first tested in a limited number of locations after the 2001 Chicago opening. The big shift came in 2009, when McDonald’s added espresso-based drinks to its national menu. For many Americans, that meant a latte or cappuccino was suddenly available at the drive-thru, alongside a breakfast sandwich, at a fast-food price.

After the espresso launch, the menu kept growing. Blended ice frappés, real fruit smoothies, thick shakes and seasonal drinks followed in the next few years. By then, McCafé was less a café concept and more an umbrella brand covering almost everything McDonald’s sold to drink besides soda.

The 2017 relaunch

In September 2017, McDonald’s USA announced a relaunch of McCafé. According to the company’s announcement, it included:

• new espresso drinks, including a Caramel Macchiato served hot or iced, a Cappuccino with optional French vanilla, caramel or hazelnut flavor, and an Americano;
• recrafted lattes and mochas made with espresso from 100 percent Arabica beans;
• new espresso machines and crew training across nearly all of its roughly 14,000 US restaurants;
• a new logo with packaging that changes with the seasons.

The same announcement mentioned bottled ready-to-drink McCafé Frappé beverages for retail stores, made through a partnership with The Coca-Cola Company.

Drinks McCafé Helped Popularize

McCafé did not invent any of these drinks, but it made them familiar to a huge audience that might never have walked into a specialty coffee shop:

• The latte. Espresso with steamed milk became a fast-food staple. If you want the backstory of the drink itself, read who invented the latte.
• Flavored lattes. Caramel, French vanilla and hazelnut syrups turned the latte into a customizable sweet treat.
• Iced coffee and iced lattes. Cold, sweet, milky coffee drinks became an all-day order, not just a summer one. You can make your own with our iced latte recipe.
• The frappé. Blended coffee, ice and milk topped with whipped cream reached a mass market.
• The caramel macchiato. Vanilla or caramel, milk, espresso and a caramel drizzle became one of the most recognizable flavored espresso drinks in the US.

McCafé’s Place in American Coffee Culture

The arrival of espresso drinks at fast-food prices changed what many people expected from a quick coffee stop. Drinks that once felt like a specialty-café luxury became an ordinary part of a morning commute. Once people knew what a caramel latte or a frappé tasted like, many also wanted to make one in their own kitchen.

Price is part of that story. A coffee drink’s cost reflects milk, cups, labor and rent as much as the coffee itself; our breakdown of what is in the price of a latte explains why. Making the same style of drink at home with fresh beans is often far cheaper per cup.

Recreating Café-Style Drinks at Home

If you enjoy flavored lattes and want your own version, the basics are simple:

1. Brew a strong base: a double espresso, moka pot coffee, or 4 oz (120 ml) of extra-strong brewed coffee.
2. Add 1–2 tablespoons (15–30 ml) of syrup or use a flavored coffee for the base.
3. Heat and froth 6–8 oz (180–240 ml) of milk and pour it over.
4. Finish with caramel drizzle, cocoa or cinnamon if you like.

McCafé FAQ

When did McCafé start?

The first McCafé opened in 1993 in Melbourne, Australia. The concept was developed by McDonald’s Australia as a café area inside or beside a McDonald’s restaurant.

When did McCafé come to the United States?

The first US McCafé opened in Chicago in May 2001. Espresso drinks such as lattes, cappuccinos and mochas were added to the national US menu in 2009.

Is McCafé coffee sold in grocery stores?

Yes. In 2014, McDonald’s announced that McCafé coffee would be sold in US supermarkets in bags and single-serve pods, produced with a packaged-food partner. Availability and formats may vary over time.

What did the 2017 McCafé relaunch add?

The relaunch added drinks such as a Caramel Macchiato, a flavored Cappuccino and an Americano, along with recrafted lattes and mochas. It also brought new espresso equipment, crew training and a new logo.

From Melbourne Café to Global Coffee Brand

McCafé’s story runs from a single café in Melbourne to a worldwide coffee brand that made lattes and frappés part of everyday life. If those flavored café drinks are your favorite, you can build them at home with fresh coffee. Feel Espresso’s Caramel and French Vanilla flavored coffees make easy latte bases, and our best sellers are roasted 1–5 days before delivery for a rich, full-bodied cup.