Latest news with #LaLaLandKindCafe
Forbes
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Kindness On The Menu: What Brands Can Learn From La La Land x Mickey & Friends Collaboration
As back-to-school nerves set in and the emotions of returning to the playground run high in many households, compassion becomes more than a virtue, it becomes essential. One U.S.-based coffee chain has embedded it into its brand DNA from the start, in a way that feels genuine, timely, and commercially astute. This week, La La Land Kind Café just announced its first-ever Kids' Menu, created in partnership with Disney's Mickey & Friends and rolling out across its 23 locations in Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and Nashville from August 19. On paper, it's a lighthearted collaboration: mini drinks in pastel colours, petite slices of toast, and a Pluto-inspired pup cup for four-legged friends. In practice, it's a masterclass in how to align product, purpose, and cultural moment. The brand already stands apart for more than its signature yellow cups. La La Land's founding purpose is to promote kindness and community while supporting young people transitioning out of the foster care system, not through charity alone, but by providing paid internships, mentorship, and long-term skills. It's a 'teach a person to fish' philosophy that has built both loyalty and a strong, values-led narrative. At the heart of La La Land Kind Café is founder and CEO François Reihani, a social entrepreneur whose vision stretches far beyond foam art and Instagrammable 'normalize kindness' mugs. Reihani's journey began at 20 with a successful restaurant in Dallas, but his real calling emerged when he attended a meeting with CASA and heard firsthand the challenges faced by youth aging out of foster care. Moved by those stories, he launched the 'We Are One Project' in 2017 and then, in 2019, opened the first café as a training ground for mentorship, paid internships, housing support, therapy, and life skills. His goal? Not merely to employ, but to empower and to design a business so replicable another brand could copy it for good. His philosophy is simple but powerful: growth matters only if it starts with heart. By bringing Mickey & Friends into that space, the café is tapping into something both nostalgic and universal: the comfort of familiar characters, the reassurance of a safe and friendly place, and the shared joy of treating children to an experience that feels special but accessible. For parents, it's an easy 'yes' the coffee is for them, the fun is for their children, and the brand ethos feels good to support. The timing is no accident. Back-to-school season is emotionally loaded, particularly for younger children and their families. It's a moment when the tone of the year is being set and when messages about kindness, inclusion, and friendship have maximum resonance. In the United States, one in five students report being bullied, according to PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center. Brands that understand the emotional context of this season, and respond with genuine, values-driven initiatives, create not just transactions but trust. The campaign also integrates exclusivity and share-ability, from the limited-edition Mickey & Friends reusable coffee cups for the first 300 guests at each location on August 22, to 'Be Kind' tote bags and plush toys, to QR-code-enabled in-store displays at select sites. It's a reminder that while purpose is the heart of the offer, retail theatre still matters: people want a reason to show up, stay, and share the experience. In a marketplace where brands often overcomplicate 'purpose', La La Land has kept it simple: a clear value (kindness), a tangible action (mentorship and support for foster youth), and an activation that appeals to multiple audiences without diluting the core message. The Disney partnership amplifies the reach but doesn't overpower the brand's identity and in the process, creates a blueprint for how other businesses can show up in culturally relevant ways. Because kindness is not seasonal. But at a time of year when young people are negotiating new friendships, new routines, and new challenges, it's worth remembering that brands can do more than sell. They can help set the tone, one coffee, one conversation, and one act of kindness at a time.
Los Angeles Times
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Etheridge has always written what she feels, and what she's feeling right now, at this moment in her life, is liberated. The folk-rock legend, best known for her raspy '90s anthems (cue 'Come to my window …'), just finished recording a new album due out next year. A theme that permeates throughout her lyrics? Setting herself free. 'It's a lot about letting go of trying to make everything perfect,' Etheridge says. 'Letting go of trying to change other people to make me happy because it doesn't work that way.' She chats with us from her Yes We Are Tour with the Indigo Girls, an occasion she describes as the ultimate girls' night out. 'It's brought a lot of women out — grandmothers, mothers, daughters,' Etheridge says. 'It's music that you remember and it feels really amazing.' The tour makes a stop next week at the Greek Theatre, which will feel like a homecoming of sorts for the artist who has lived in L.A. for the past 43 years. Etheridge and her wife Linda Wallem, along with Etheridge's young adult children, have settled in the Calabasas area and find comfort in the many neighborhood charms. Today Etheridge, who says she has had 'many incredible Sundays' around town, describes a perfect one. It starts with a stroll close to home and then ventures downtown for brunch and art, and into Studio City for a heavenly deep-fried Fluffernutter. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. 7 a.m.: Wake up and walk We love to get right up, and the first thing we do is go for a walk. We go for about a mile and a half, and it's just really lovely. And we love all our neighbors, and it's a really fantastic place. 8 a.m.: Coffee with extra love Then we would go to La La Land Kind Cafe at the Commons in Calabasas. What's special about it is that it [employs] foster kids. The owner is a really special guy that puts a lot of love into the place. And it's so L.A. — you can ask for 'extra love' and they'll say, 'Oh, we love you!' when we leave. They have a butterfly matcha latte — you know, blue and green. Really crazy, beautiful drinks. So we'll pick up coffee and then go to Hank's Bagels and get some bagels for the kids. 9 a.m.: Crank up the car tunes After we drop everything off at home, we're leaving to go downtown. On Sunday at nine o'clock, you can get downtown in a reasonable amount of time. I've got the music cranked up in our car. We love to listen to the Chris Stapleton channel on Sirius XM. And we're listening to my new album that I just recorded that won't be out until 2026. 10 a.m.: A leisurely brunchWe'll go to the Girl & the Goat. Chef Stephanie Izard has these biscuits and chicken. Incredible. It's not too foofy because you just don't want to get too foofy for brunch. You want to, oh, feel it when you're done. So that's what we'll do. That's from, like, 10 to 11 a.m. No, 10 to 12. I'm not rushing. It's a beautiful restaurant. Noon: See what's on display in downtown we're going to go see whatever exhibits or installations they have downtown. The last time we went, it was 'Luna Luna.' Really great. One time, it was the King Tut exhibit. 3 p.m.: A quick stop at Atrium Then we'll get the kids. On the way back, we stop at one of our favorite cannabis stores, Atrium on Topanga [Canyon Boulevard] — our other favorite is Coast to Coast in Canoga Park — and get some because we're going to our favorite movie theater later tonight. 3:30 p.m.: Spend time at my favorite musical playground We swing by Norman's Rare Guitars, which is in Tarzana. It's not open on Sundays, but if this was a dream, it would be. [Owner Norman Harris] has an exquisite collection that everyone has bought from, from Tom Petty to George Harrison to Bob Dylan to me. Sometimes I'll trade a guitar with [Norman], and sometimes I'll have him show me a ridiculously expensive guitar just to look at it, and then I'll tell him I can never buy it. There's always something happening in there. I've sat in the middle of the store with my friend Ashley McBryde and sang songs. It's just a really cool place. Only in L.A. 5 p.m.: A night at the moviesWe'll get to our favorite movie theater, Cinépolis, where we're going to watch the latest movie. They serve dinner and drinks in the theater, and it's just a really fun night. The last movie we saw was 'Thunderbolts.' It's freaking great. God, I love Florence Pugh. My kids were skeptical about Marvel, but they really liked it. It's nice not having to cook or clean on a Sunday. So far, we've eaten 10,000 calories today. 8 p.m.: The dessert of all dessertsThen if we could pack in all the fun, we would go down the 101 to Studio City, where Chef Antonia Lofaso has the Black Market Liquor Bar. She has a dessert called the Fluffernutter. Oh, my God. It's a deep-fried Fluffernutter. It's so good. So we would go get dessert there. Then we would drive home. 10 p.m.: End the night under the stars We have a little fire pit outside in our backyard. And we love to sit and look at the stars and use some of that stuff that we got at the Atrium. I constantly think, oh, I'm going to move out of L.A. And we travel all around the world. And I swear, every time I come back, I'm like, this feels like home. This is home.
Daily Mail
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Jennifer Lopez flirts with a handsome entrepreneur while in a crop top... 7 months after Ben Affleck divorce
Jennifer Lopez got very flirty in a new video shared to Instagram on Wednesday. The Jenny From The Block singer was seen smashing birthday cake into the face of a handsome entrepreneur named Francois Reihani. Francois is founder of the Calabasas, California restaurant La La Land Kind Cafe and the cake was made for her 56th birthday, which falls on Thursday. Jenny looked fit and youthful in a very tiny cream-colored turtleneck top that made the most of her toned tummy. She added low-rise blue denim jeans and had her hair in a ponytail with hoop earrings as her accessory. Francois was making a presentation with JLo when she took a slice of cake and smashed it in his face, just as a new bride would do to her groom on their wedding day. It has been seven months since the Bronx native finalized her divorce from Ben Affleck, and she does not seem to have dated since. Francois did not have on a wedding ring, indicating he may still be on the market. Francois is the founder of La La Land Kind Cafe, the We Are One Project, and former founder of Bar Stellar and Pok The Raw Bar. Francois opened La La Land Kind Cafe in 2019, an organic cafe with a purpose of empowering foster youth aging out of the foster care system through employment and mentorship opportunities while on a mission to normalize kindness. 'We dream big, and hope we can make a statement to our nation that businesses can and should be doing more. Social enterprises should lead our future, to create a better world,' he said. Prior to opening La La Land Kind Cafe, Francois opened his first restaurant concept, Pōk the Raw Bar, in Dallas' vibrant West Village after transferring from the University of Southern California to Southern Methodist University. 'How sweet is this!!! @LaLaLandKindCafe has a JLo Birthday Cake Latte that they created just for my birthday. I had so much fun making it!' began the Kiss Of The Spider-Woman actress. 'Starting tomorrow, July 24, head to any La La Land café and enjoy a sweet birthday treat with love from me and La La Land @francois. While you're there, don't miss the chance to win VIP tickets to my UP ALL NIGHT Live In Las Vegas show,' wrote the star in her caption. The post was a promotion for a new beverage that was made for Lopez's birthday. La La Land Kind Café said they were 'thrilled' to launch the JLO Birthday Cake Latte, an exclusive drink created in celebration of JLO's birthday and the release of her highly anticipated single, Birthday, the venue told 'Starting Thursday, July 24, fans can sip on the JLO Birthday Cake Latte - a delicious, birthday cake-inspired drink and the first release on La La Land's new 'ALL STAR Drinks' menu. The drink will be available for a limited time at all 21 La La Land Kind Café locations and via the brand's app,' the brand said. To mark the occasion, La La Land rolled out a one-day-only Golden Ticket Giveaway on July 24. 'Every in-store JLO Birthday Cake Latte purchased will come with a custom sticker sleeve that has a scratch or peel to reveal whether you're an instant winner of an unforgettable JLO experience. 'La La Land and Lopez want to send fans to Vegas in style. A total of 26 grand prize winners - one per store and three via social media - will each receive: Two VIP tickets to Jennifer Lopez's Up All Night Las Vegas show and choice of concert dates: December 31, 2025, January 2, 2026, or January 3, 2026.' Giveaway includes VIP concert tickets only. Airfare and lodging are not included. Earlier this month Lopez said she was 'done' with marriage after splitting from fourth husband Ben Affleck last year. The Unstoppable actress was married to Ojani Noa, Cris Judd and Marc Anthony before tying the knot with Affleck in 2022, but they split in 2024 after less than two years of marriage and Jennifer has now suggested she won't be walking down the aisle ever again. Video footage taken during her concert in Bilbao, Spain and posted on X, showed Jennifer spotting an audience member holding up a sign which read: 'J. Lo, marry me?' and she said: 'I think I'm done with that. I've tried that a few times.' Jennifer was engaged to Hollywood actor Affleck in the early 2000s, but the relationship ended shortly before they were due to get married. They got back together in 2021 before tying the knot in two ceremonies in 2022 - one in Las Vegas and one in Georgia. 'How sweet is this!!! @LaLaLandKindCafe has a JLo Birthday Cake Latte that they created just for my birthday. I had so much fun making it! 'Starting tomorrow, July 24, head to any La La Land café and enjoy a sweet birthday treat with love from me and La La Land @francois' The divorce filing came exactly two years after the couple's extravagant second bash on August 20, 2022. The paperwork listed the official date of their separation as April 26, 2024. The singer later admitted it had been an 'intense year' and she was looking forward to taking time off and spending the holidays with her family. She told People magazine: 'It was a pretty intense year for me and I'm most looking forward to spending time with my kids and my family coming out from the East Coast. 'The holidays are such a special time for us and they've always been since I was a little girl. And I really look forward to those moments when I can be with my sisters and just relax and have fun and create new memories. 'We don't get to see each other all year, so we kind of catch up on what everybody's doing and how life is. It's just a beautiful time. I really enjoy it.' The former couple's divorce was finalized in January. Jennifer has since returned to the road after cancelled her previous tour to focus on family matters. The singer kicked off her Up All Night tour in Pontevedra, Spain on July 8. The shows will be performed across Europe before heading to the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Armenia, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The Jenny From The Block star will then return to the US later in the year to launch her Up All Night residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on December 30. The Las Vegas residency is due to run through until March 2026.
Forbes
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
How La La Land Kind Cafe Is Redefining Hospitality To Heal A Broken System For Foster Youth
La La Land Kind Cafe, North Shepherd Francois Reihani was 20 years old when he opened his first restaurant in Dallas—and thought he had it all. After transferring from USC to SMU, he immediately saw an opportunity. 'A lot of people, not a lot of good places to eat,' he remembers. Despite having no experience in hospitality, he created a sushi-style concept, pitched it to a friend's family, recruited a chef from Nobu, and secured a prime spot in one of the city's busiest centers. From the very first day, the restaurant was packed. 'Thank God it did very well. The line was out the door from the first day.' Success came fast—and so did the lifestyle that often follows. It was the moment many young entrepreneurs dream about: financial success, a Porsche in the driveway, and a hot new restaurant at the center of Dallas nightlife. But something didn't feel right. 'Up until that point, opening that store, my whole life, I was so centered around just making a bunch of money. And in that moment was the big realization for me — I was no happier than I was before.' Francois Reihani, Founcer of La La Land Kind Cafe That internal reckoning sent him down a new path. His sister invited him to a meeting hosted by CASA, a nonprofit supporting children in foster care. That night, the topic was youth aging out of the system. Reihani walked in unaware—and walked out transformed. 'I had never heard anything about that before,' he says. He listened as young people shared stories of being moved through a dozen foster homes, medicated, mistreated, and ultimately abandoned at 18. 'These kids didn't even get a first chance. And the biggest shock? No one even knows it's a problem.' That night, he stayed up researching until 4 a.m. Soon after, he walked away from the restaurant business. Or so he thought. At first, he planned to start a nonprofit to fix the system. The solution seemed straightforward: provide therapy, housing, education, and job placement. 'That's all you got to do. Delusion,' he admits. It didn't work. 'Even if we put youth in great therapy and housing, 99% of the time, they couldn't get or maintain a job. A Taco Bell manager isn't going to have patience for that or care what they've been through.' It was a moment of painful clarity. But also, a breakthrough. That was the lightning moment: what if he could build a business that was the support system? 'It was like this lightning moment: what if I create the place where we not only hire and mentor those kids, but I also get to bring my love for hospitality into it?' And just like that, La La Land Kind Café was born. 'My passion met my purpose at that moment. It was like a clear route for me.' But Reihani wasn't interested in just another mission-driven coffee shop. 'I didn't want to just open a coffee shop that hires foster youth — I wanted to create a program that other companies across America could replicate.' The brand itself is as intentional as the mission. 'La La Land was about creating this heaven that someone walks into and you say, 'Hey. This is how the world should be.'' From white interiors and yellow pops of color to heartfelt customer interactions, every detail is designed to spark joy and human connection. But the real magic lies in what you don't see. 'You can walk around any La La Land store and you won't see one banner about what we do. We're not shoving it in anyone's face. We don't use it as marketing. It has to be at the core of the company.' That commitment to authenticity extends to the hiring process. 'We hire only based on personality, never the resume. We don't care if you've worked in coffee for 10 years. We want to know who you are.' Because, as Reihani points out, 'The only strangers most people talk to are inside restaurants. That places a big responsibility on hospitality workers — they're kind of representing humanity.' Intern Graduation in Santa Monica Each La La Land store now serves as a training hub. Every 10 weeks, a new group of foster youth begins a fully paid internship—learning financial literacy, adult life skills, and job-readiness, all supported by dedicated youth directors and store managers. After graduating, they transition to other La La Land locations or roles that suit their lives better. It's a model built on learning from failure—and evolving with care. 'These kids have already been through so much failure in life, we never want to be another one.' So while Reihani is ambitious about the future—'Of course I hope one day we're hiring thousands of youth and really making an impact on American kids'—he's also deliberate. 'I'm delusional when it comes to business growth — but careful when it comes to our program because we're dealing with real lives. They've already been through so much failure we don't want them to go through more.' Because for Francois Reihani, growth is only meaningful if it starts at the heart. Invitation to A Whimsical Affair: Tea & Dreams in La La Land This May, in honor of National Foster Care Awareness Month, La La Land Kind Café and The La La Foundation are inviting supporters to go beyond the cup and into the heart of their mission. Join them on May 4th for A Whimsical Affair: Tea & Dreams in La La Land—a magical brunch fundraiser in Dallas celebrating the strength and resilience of foster youth. With handcrafted drinks, live music, and a silent auction featuring exclusive experiences, the event is a powerful opportunity to support the young lives La La Land is helping transform every day. Tickets and more information are available at
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'The Summer I Turned Pretty''s Gavin Casalegno Makes Rare Comment About Private Marriage
Gavin Casalegno is still in newlywed bliss five months after tying the knot. The Summer I Turned Pretty star, 25, attended an event for his Kai Lo clothing brand at La La Land Kind Cafe in Los Angeles with his wife Cheyanne over the weekend. 'A lot of time, people say the first year of marriage is the hardest, but being able to work on Kai Lo and the passion projects that we have actually made it really enjoyable and has helped us get on the same page creatively," he told Page Six at the event. 'We just had a blast,' he continued. 'You can't take it too seriously. The second you do, is when all the joy gets sucked out of it. So we've really just been trying to enjoy ourselves and make the most of it.' Kai Lo recently debuted their "Depth" collection, which is now available for purchase online. Related: The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3: All About the Final Season of the Romantic Drama — and If It Will Follow the Book's Ending The actor, who stars as Jeremiah Fisher in Amazon Prime Video's smash hit series, married Cheyanne Casalegno, 23, in a small ceremony in November 2024. The actor previously hinted that he kept the ceremony small, and his TV brother, Chris Briney, was not present. "FOREVER CAPTIVATED BY YOU🕊️," the actor wrote in an Instagram post. Cheyanne's wedding dress was a long chiffon gown with lace detailing on the off-the-shoulder sleeves, while Gavin opted for a classic black suit and crisp white shirt. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gavin Casalegno (@gavincasalegno) The Summer I Turned Pretty is adapted from the series of novels of the same name by author Jenny Han, who additionally penned To All The Boys I've Loved Before. The show follows the love triangle between Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) and a pair of brothers, Jermiah (Casalegno) and Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney), along with the growing pains of coming-of-age and the grief of losing a parent. Casalegno previously spoke on how his marriage led him to feel more connected with his character. "Growing up, I never understood the Conrad appeal, unfortunately. I think being an adult now, and just trying to figure out my life, it made me understand — while looking for life partners — the whole Belly and Conrad thing," the actor said in a clip from a Valentine's Day panel at Texas Christian University shared on TikTok. Related: The Summer I Turned Pretty Final Season Will 'Surprise' Fans Who Think They Know the Ending, Author Jenny Han Says The show has built a significant following in part for its dramatic themes, but also for its powerful pop soundtrack. Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and more have soundtracked pivotal scenes throughout the series. The use of Fleetwood Mac's "Silver Springs" helped introduce the song to a Gen Z audience. The show will return for its third and final season on Prime Video in July 2025. Read the original article on People
