The World Runson Coffee
Every tourist trap has an escape route.
Coffee Run
need… coffee…
Get a safe house on the map
Know an independent coffee shop, café or roaster the locals love? Three boxes and you’re done.
Fixing a listing instead? Suggest an editNo safe houses here yet.
Get it on the mapYou’re about to spill the beans.
Posting this tells the whole internet, and the horde follows. Loose lips sink coffee shops.
Find coffee by city
The World Runs on Coffee is a hand-drawn world map of independent coffee shops and roasters. Local favorites are safe houses. Big chains, plus any spot the community votes down, are horde magnets, and each one points to a nearby local favorite to try instead.
1340 spots in 724 cities so far. See every city
Run a local favorite that’s on the map? Get your free Safe House badge. Run a specialty coffee shop, café or roastery we’re missing? Get it on the map.
Questions
What is a safe house?
A safe house is a coffee shop or roaster that locals actually go to: an independent local favorite.
What is a horde magnet?
A horde magnet is a big chain that coffee lovers tend to skip, like Starbucks, Dunkin' or the fast-growing drive-thru chains, or any spot the community has voted down. Each one points to a nearby local favorite to try instead.
How does a spot become a horde magnet?
Big chains start out as horde magnets. Any other spot becomes one when visitors vote it down: at least 8 "It was gross" votes, and twice as many gross votes as "Shh" votes. If the "Shh" votes catch back up, it goes back to being a safe house.
What does "Shh. Keep it secret." mean?
It is a thumbs-up vote. It says the spot is good and also lowers its horde risk, which measures how close a local favorite is to being overrun.
How are listings chosen and checked?
Every listing is an independent coffee shop, café or roaster that locals actually go to. New listings come from our own research and from readers, and each one is checked before it appears: the place must be findable at a real address in that city, and its own website must show it is a coffee business. Founding years, founders, hours and what to order are only shown when the shop's own website says so. Listings are re-checked against the shop's website about every three months, and a place is only removed after two checks a week apart find it closed. Big chains are marked as "horde magnets" and point to a nearby local favorite instead. Shops never pay to be listed.
What does spilling the beans do?
Spilling the beans shares a spot on social media. Each share raises the spot's horde risk.