La La Land National Expansion
La La Land Kind Café first opened their doors in Dallas, Texas in the summer of 2019 by Francois Reihani who is both the founder of La La Land Kind Café and the We Are One Project. Combining both his passions for hospitality and helping his community, La La Land employs and mentors young people who are aging out of the foster system — their team of high-energy baristas behind espresso machines aren’t just making a living, they’re also part of the La La Program that begins with 8 weeks of personal mentoring and coaching, building a resume, and normalizing kindness.
La La Land has quickly become one of my the most interesting brands throughout Texas, not only selling coffee and pastries, but known for their iconic toasts, café items, apparel, and tea program.
Following the first store, SHOP engaged on a strategic relationship with the brand to help grow the concept not only locally, but expanding outside of DFW. The goal for both SHOP and La La Land, was to be a versatile brand in a highly competitive space which is coffee. SHOP created a growth path for the brand that included locations on the street, within a lifestyle center, a drive thru location, in an adaptive reuse project, and opened in one of the top enclosed malls in the country. Within seven years of partnership, the brand has 30 locations throughout Dallas, Houston, Scottsdale, Austin, Nashville and Southern California and continues to boast kindness and branding through their 6.6 million Tik-Tok followers and future stores across the country.
