Inspiring Conversations with Sarah Lieberman of Dandelion Cafe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Lieberman.

Hi Sarah, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up working in our family restaurant in Dover, Delaware, from the time I was 12 years old, so you could say hospitality is in my blood. I left my small town in 2001 at the age of 20 to pursue bigger things in Philadelphia and studied at The University of the Arts, where I received my BS in Industrial Design. During college, I worked at a small coffee shop in the heart of the Italian Market in South Philadelphia. This is where my love for coffee began. I worked on and off there for seven years.

After college, I took a break from working in coffee and started a job working for Fuji Bicycle Company for several years as a product designer. After being laid off from there in 2009, I spent a lot of time traveling around different parts of the world, and eventually I decided to leave Philadelphia for Houston in January 2012, where I got a job working in the oil industry. After a year and a half there, I realized that life wasn’t for me and returned to working in the hospitality industry in 2014. In June of 2015, my dream of starting my own business was becoming something I couldn’t ignore; naturally, I wanted to have my own coffee shop, my favorite job of all. I began business mentoring with SCORE, a mentoring offshoot program of the Small Business Administration. They believed in me and saw that I had the drive and abilities to start the business. I began the process of writing my business plan and opening my business over the next year. I wanted to be the sole owner of the business and was able to find funding with the Bayou Microfund who loved my determination, the concept, and my dynamic experience. They decided to invest in me! I finally opened Dandelion Cafe in August 2016.

The first year was the most stressful of my life. I felt like I was constantly on the verge of closing the business and losing my entire savings. I have never felt that type of stress before, and no one could understand it unless they have opened their own business in that way. Also, having never managed people before in that capacity, I was constantly turning over staff in the beginning. I started to figure everything out, and by the summer of 2017, we were breaking even. In November 2017, I was able to hire a manager and begin the process of pulling myself out from behind the counter, from making coffee to actually managing the business. I learned that as much as I love coffee, creating food, and serving the community, I also love the business side of things. Dandelion had been my only baby until I found out I was pregnant the second year; this was perfect timing to shift my focus. While I was pleasantly surprised to welcome my new little girl, it certainly added an unfamiliar element of positive stress to living and running a restaurant. The business, like any other, has ebbs and flows, but we continue to grow. I’m thrilled to have gotten in on the ground floor of the development that has been happening in our Bellaire community.

We have an amazing staff of people who love what they do, enjoy engaging with our guests, and they have stuck with me through it all. We have the best regulars and, in general, our customers are the nicest people. I feel very fortunate to have gotten my business to this point. It has been a hard road to travel, and people don’t generally shed light on the tough aspects of being a business owner. I’ve learned more about myself, my abilities, and my confidence than ever before. The best advice I have received through this process was to listen to my community, and by doing so, I know that it’s what has kept us alive and thriving.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road is much smoother now, even though it’s never without its bumps. My most difficult struggle was the lack of support I had during my startup phase. I have no family in Houston and felt like I was grasping at straws within the restaurant industry. In the beginning, it taught me a lot about the industry. There were some amazing people within the industry who stepped up and helped me with advice, labor, and even food prep. I was such a baby restaurateur at the time, and I continue to learn and grow every day. I try to share my experiences, be kind, and help people as often as I can while sharing what I’ve learned along the way.

We’ve been impressed with Dandelion Cafe, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a breakfast/lunch/brunch place with fresh smoothies, juices, organic teas, and mimosas. We have three Houston locations in the Bellaire, Heights, and Rice University neighborhoods. For food, we have a versatile breakfast/brunch menu, colorful salads, and hearty sandwich options. Everything is made fresh in-house, pastries, jams, salsas, and of course, our famous Chicken and Waffles that won us the Best Breakfast in Houston title from Good Morning America in 2023. If we don’t make it at Dandelion, we source locally where we know the people are making it in their own space. We use locally roasted Greenway and Amaya coffees. All of our coffee syrups are house-made, and we even make our own almond milk. One big thing we take pride in is that our team is incredibly friendly and all about hospitality. We’re not your average coffee shop; we have a chef-driven menu and also offer custom catering for all types of events, in-house or off-site.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
One surprise most people don’t know about me is that I blow glass. It’s one of my favorite creative outlets and a practice that’s taught me patience, precision, and how to trust the process. It’s a reminder that the most beautiful things often come from taking your time and staying present.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dandelionhouston.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dandelionhouston
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dandelionhouston/

Image Credits
The food photos were taken by Becca Wright.