Costa Coffee Machines Now Brewing at Buc-ee's Travel Centers Nationwide

Costa Coffee's automated Smart Café machines have landed inside Buc-ee's travel centers across the United States, giving the U.K.-founded brand, now part of the Coca-Cola system, a foothold in one of America's most trafficked roadside destinations without opening a single standalone store.

The exact installation date remains unclear, but social media tells the early story: posts suggest the rollout began around mid-2025, with one of the first documented sightings coming from a British traveler who posted a TikTok video showing a Costa Smart Café machine inside a Buc-ee's location. From there, the sightings multiplied. Multiple TikTok and Instagram videos followed, capturing customers reacting to the machines appearing at their local stores, a pattern that points to a gradual, location-by-location expansion rather than a single nationwide flip of a switch.

Costa framed the deployment in explicitly commercial terms. "With no need to hire baristas, you can serve travelers premium beverages, customized just the way they like them," the company said in a statement. "It's a low-risk, high-margin way to elevate the traveler experience."

The strategic logic runs in both directions. For Costa, placing Smart Café machines inside Buc-ee's heavy-traffic travel centers means introducing the brand's drinks to millions of American consumers without the capital burden of building thousands of new stores. For Buc-ee's, the machines add a premium automated option alongside its existing self-service coffee bar, reinforcing its pitch as a one-stop destination for road-trippers and helping it compete more directly with traditional coffee chains like Starbucks.

That self-service coffee bar already has a proven track record with travelers. Buc-ee's build-your-own coffee station first went viral in 2022, when customers flooded Instagram and TikTok with videos showcasing the chain's extensive customization options and unusually low prices compared to conventional coffee shops. The Costa Smart Café machines now sit alongside that offering rather than replacing it.

Separately, and not connected to the Buc-ee's deployment, Costa has been expanding its Costa Express machine network in the United Kingdom to include tea. Andrew Miller, Express and corporate sales director UK&I at Costa Coffee, described the move as a natural extension of the brand's self-service ambitions. "We know how much our customers value a great cup of coffee, and the same goes for tea, which is an integral part of daily life in the UK," Miller said. "We're thrilled to expand our offering with the addition of tea to Costa Express machines nationwide, and its inclusion in our portfolio reflects our dedication to delivering the beverages our customers want, wherever they are." The tea option is rolling out at selected Costa Express machines across high streets, petrol stations, and travel hubs throughout the UK. Costa Express and Costa Smart Café are distinct product lines; there is no indication from available reporting that the U.S. Buc-ee's machines currently offer tea.

The number of Buc-ee's locations currently fitted with Costa Smart Café machines has not been publicly disclosed, and neither Buc-ee's corporate nor Coca-Cola has issued a joint statement confirming the full scope or terms of the arrangement.