Serving with Speed: How PayPal Keeps this Coffee Van in Gear

So he made a change. He trained at one of London’s top bakeries. He bought a 1972 Citroën H van. And he launched a two-day-a-week coffee operation coincidentally parked outside PayPal’s London office.

“I just wanted to make better mornings,” he says. “And better bagels.”

That side hustle quickly grew into Old News Café, a full-time mobile café with a loyal following. But with growth comes new pressure: more volume, tighter workflows, and a need to get every piece of the operation—especially tech—just right.

The Opportunity

The van works—charmingly, even. But rush hour in central London isn’t cute. It’s fast, high-volume, and full of people who aren't keen to wait. Inside the van, Myles and a team member juggle orders, espresso shots, and toasted bagels in a space the size of a wardrobe. One small snag can throw the whole operation off balance.

“The pace is relentless,” he says. “There’s no buffer. We have to be ready for anything.”

And slowing down isn’t an option. Mornings fly, customers tap and go, and Myles is already thinking ahead. He doesn’t just want to run a great van; he wants to build a brand that lasts. That means better systems, more consistency, and the kind of efficiency that can translate to new locations down the line.

To get there, he needs more than great coffee and fresh bagels. He needs tools that are built to scale and can keep up with the pace of what’s next.

The Solution

From the first tap of the morning rush to the last bagel of the day, Myles relies on PayPal’s Point of Sale system to keep things moving smoothly.

His primary hardware is the PayPal card reader, which processes payments quickly and seamlessly. For added flexibility, he also uses Tap to Pay* on his mobile, giving him a fast, reliable way to serve customers from anywhere in the van. Having multiple ways to take payments helps ensure the flow never slows no matter how busy things get.

“It’s seamless,” he says. “Whether it’s the reader or Tap to Pay, everything just works. That reliability is everything in a rush.”

On the software side, PayPal Point of Sale’s intuitive, customisable interface helps Myles organise his menu for speed: popular drinks up top, bagels bold at the bottom, all clearly priced and ready to go. And when help is needed, onboarding is effortless. “It’s idiot-proof,” he says. “I can give an employee a 15-second rundown and they’re flying.”

For a compact setup with big-city demands, PayPal delivers the speed, control, and confidence Myles needs to run like a much larger operation.

The Results

With PayPal Point of Sale and Tap to Pay powering payments, Myles can move through rush hour without missing a beat. Fast, seamless checkouts have become the norm, keeping lines moving and customers happy.

“There’s no lag, no awkward fumbling with tech while someone waits to pay,” he says. “It’s smooth. And that changes everything.”

That consistency helps give Myles the freedom to focus on quality and growth. Instead of troubleshooting tools, he’s refining recipes, streamlining workflows, and thinking ahead to what’s next. Having a system that keeps up with demand—and adapts as he grows—makes all the difference.

He didn’t expect a relationship with his payments provider, but being parked outside PayPal’s office led to real conversations, real support, and loyalty that stuck. “They’ve helped me improve. They check in. It’s more than just tech. It’s a team that’s in it with me.

With that kind of support, Myles knows he’s not just keeping up. He’s laying the groundwork for what’s next.

Quick Wins

• Fast fallback with Tap to Pay: “If the reader isn’t working in five seconds, I move to Tap to Pay. One will always work.”
• Easy to train, even mid-rush: “I give them literally a 15-second brief and away they go.”
• Customer delight moments: “People are like, ‘Wait, I can tap my phone on your phone?’ It’s kind of magic.”
• Fewer disruptions, more focus: “It’s one less thing to worry about—which, when you’re doing everything, is huge.”