How Melbourne Cafes Turn First-Timers Into Regulars

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Melbourne does not have a cafe shortage. Stand at any tram stop on Sydney Road, Smith Street or Glenferrie Road and you can see three from where you are standing. What Melbourne has is a loyalty shortage. Every strip has one cafe with a queue out the door at 8:45am and two neighbours pulling equally good shots to an empty room.

The queue is never really about the coffee. Specialty roasters supply half the strip, the machines are the same brands, and most of the people on the tools can pour. The difference is everything that happens around the coffee, and almost none of it costs real money.

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How Melbourne Cafes Turn First-Timers Into Regulars