Such a thing never happened to my knowledge in Australia - although we did have in some capital cities and other large country towns large contingents of US troops during WWII which may have encouraged such directions.

We had 'cafes' and 'delis' which were eating places - one sold made up food, the other, ingredients, especially sliced meats, and cheeses (both often mainly inported) - we also had 'milk bars' which were sorta like 'cafes' - but for the lower end of the market, where much of the US 'drug store' activity took place.

Bob Hudson's song 'Never let a chance go by' may assist in understanding this part of Aussie culture.