I think people believe that you need complex/expensive equipment for good coffee, but that's not true. Get yourself a grinder and a chemex and be happy!
I think the prevalence of people buying morning coffee is a more complex phenomenon.
In Malaysia, you would see people complaining if their Nasi Lemak costed more than RM 5, but the same person would happily pay RM 15 for coffee. It appeared that there was a norm at play, that Nasi Lemak belongs to Malaysian streets and should be cheap, while coffee is a western thing and it's normal to be expensive.
For some others, queuing up, the micro-interactions, and drinking while walking to the office (or even back to their home office) seems to be a morning ritual. I could see myself in this group if I did not prefer my own blend and brew.
Pour-over, single-origin coffee costs about 120฿ in Thailand, 3× street food as well. Cafés are often used for setting for social media photos as much as the coffee itself and they are popular—especially right after lunch.
But with coffee being grown in the North coffee itself isn’t seen as “Western”, and the older styles using robusta beans—like กาแฟโบราณ, โอเลี้ยง, etc.—are still sold for 20–30฿ from street carts, while the arabica espresso options with an ‘experience’ to it costs way more.