Gas station coffee has a reputation for being awful, often described as a weird mix of watery and burnt. And it’s often sitting in a pot for hours.
But one man just discovered there’s actually something else at the gas station coffee station. And he’d been accidentally drinking it for days.
His stomach-churning mistake is now going viral as a cautionary tale for anyone who’s ever been desperate enough for caffeine to hit up a convenience store at 6am.
QuikTrip Coffee Station Isn’t What It Seems
Content creator Ayden Ward (@aydenkruz) shared a cautionary tale that’ll make you double-check the signage at the QuikTrip gas station. His video has 46,000 views.
“Just a FYI, the next time you go to the QT gas station and get a coffee, those little levers are just flavoring for your coffee,” Ward explains.
As it turns out, Ward says he was skipping the actual coffee entirely.
For several days, he says he’d been dispensing what he thought were pre-made coffee drinks. But they were actually concentrated flavorings meant to be mixed into regular brewed coffee.
After all those flavorings, his stomach was “tow up,” as he put it.
Ward admits he was probably running on autopilot and not paying attention.
“QT needs more directions foreal had a brothas stomach aching,” he said in the caption.
Why Are Gas Station Coffee Centers So Confusing?
Gas station coffee setups have gotten increasingly complex over the years, even if the coffee itself hasn’t gotten much better.
According to Tasting Table, modern gas stations have evolved beyond simple coffee pots. Many now feature bean-to-cup brewers, nitro cold brew taps, and elaborate coffee bars. But as the outlet notes, fancy machines don’t always mean quality coffee. Some stations use bean-to-cup grinders that “create more of an illusion of freshness than anything else,” with stale, over-roasted beans that no amount of grinding can save.
QuikTrip specifically (the chain Ward visited) is known for its “Coffee Wow” program that includes nitro cold brew taps and modern brewing systems. But all these options create multiple stations and dispensers that can be confusing for first-timers, especially when you’re half-asleep and desperately need caffeine.
The Takeout points out that gas station coffee exists in “an unofficial hierarchy of sub-premium coffee” alongside office breakroom pots, hotel lobby pots, and vending machine swill.
Many stations now use button-press dispensers and separate machines for creamers to avoid spills. But this also means more chances to grab the wrong thing when your brain isn’t fully online yet.
Commenters React
“…oh…. I thought the were premade iced coffee,” a top comment read.
“HI I WORK AT QT !!! they ARE actually hot and iced coffee w caffeine. it’s just premade like the pop,” a person said.
“So after it had your stomach beat boxing the first time, you went back and got another?” another wrote.
“As someone who works there, the bars are coffee but they’re not like traditional coffee, I haven’t read the ingredients but also wouldn’t be surprised if they’re mostly dairy. They come to us in a similar package like the sodas for the fountain drinks,” a worker shared.
@aydenkruz QT needs more directions foreal had a brothas stomach aching #fyp
BroBible reached out to Ward for comment via TikTok direct message and comment and to QT via email.