4:00 AM caffeine in Terminal A
This Starbucks in Terminal A opens at 4:00 AM, so it usually beats the first MEM departures. It sits post-security, so you can clear TSA, grab a latte, and head straight to your A-gate without backtracking through the ticketing hall.
Hours run from that 4:00 AM open until 30 minutes after the last departure of the night, which covers both the early Delta bank and the late regional flights. If your flight is one of the final pushes out of Memphis, this is often the last place in Terminal A to sell hot food and drinks.
Price tier is firmly $ by airport standards: drip coffee, tall size, usually lands in the $3–$4 range, and breakfast sandwiches hover a bit under $6–$7 depending on the item. It’s standard Starbucks menu territory—Pike Place, cold brew, refreshers, and breakfast sandwiches like the bacon gouda.
Because it’s the main coffee option airside in Terminal A, lines spike in the 5:30–7:30 AM window when multiple departures board at once. Turnaround is decent, but a five- to ten-minute wait isn’t unusual if three baristas are on the bar and there’s a full queue of mobile and walk-up orders.
If you care about speed more than custom drinks, stick to brewed coffee, pre-bottled drinks, and anything already in the pastry case. Custom frappuccinos or long modifier orders slow the line and can add a couple of minutes per drink during peak morning rush near gates in the low A-teens.
Tip: if your flight leaves from another concourse, budget an extra 10–15 minutes to walk from Terminal A to B or C after you pick up your order so you’re not jogging down the concourse with a too-full latte.