La La Land Kind Cafe opened at Oklahoma City's Classen Curve. The cafe serves coffee- and matcha-based drinks, signature toasts and pastries.
The new shop, located at 5850 N. Classen Blvd., is the Dallas-based chain's first Oklahoma location, according to The Oklahoman. That address differs from an earlier report by okctalk.com, which had pointed to 5825 NW Grand near Western, in the space formerly occupied by Freebird Shoes — a discrepancy the available reporting does not explain.
Customers lined up to try the cafe during its Oklahoma City soft opening.
Soft-Opening Deals Lead Into a Nov. 8 Grand Opening
The Classen Curve cafe is running daily soft-opening hours from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Nov. 7, with half-priced drinks available to anyone who signs up for the chain's rewards program, per the same Oklahoman report. The arrangement gives Oklahoma City coffee drinkers more than a week to sample the menu before the official celebration begins.
That grand opening is set for Nov. 8, running from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. with drinks and toasts discounted by 50% and gifts and prizes promised for the first 500 people in line, the report notes. The plans were described as scheduled in advance, and whether the event unfolds exactly as planned remains to be seen.
A Yellow Brand With a Viral Following
La La Land Kind Cafe traces back to 2019, when founder Francois Reihani opened the first location in Dallas, according to the Oklahoman's reporting. The chain has since become known for a clean, stark-white aesthetic accented with pops of yellow, and for its viral following.
The business was built with a specific mission: supporting and mentoring young people aging out of the foster care system. La La Land cafes employ young people through multi-week paid internships that include financial literacy, adult life skills and job-readiness training, the Oklahoman reported, turning each location into a kind of training ground as much as a coffee shop.
On social media, a post from Threads account @okctalk previewed the Oklahoma City arrival back in the spring, describing La La Land as known for coffee, tea, coolers and avocado toast variations, alongside its signature yellow branding and Dallas headquarters.
The Chain's Footprint Continues to Grow
The chain has expanded beyond Dallas.
The brand's footprint keeps spreading regardless of the exact tally. Axios reported the company signed a lease for its first North Carolina cafe in Charlotte's Design Center of the Carolinas, and the Charlotte Business Journal reported that location opened in South End this past April.
A New Addition to OKC's Coffee Scene
La La Land's debut adds to a busy stretch for new coffee shops in Oklahoma City. Just two weeks earlier, Cap City Coffee opened at 417 NW 23rd St., a shop tied to OKC Community Church that aims to support attached nonprofits, according to the Oklahoman's coverage of that opening. News 9 separately reported on the church-backed shop's focus on serving the community.
With the grand opening still ahead on Nov. 8, the cafe has more than a week to settle in before its biggest promotional push yet.
