The idea for La La Land Kind Cafe was created after Francois Reihani, 25, learned about the statistics of what happens to foster youth after they age out of the system. After discovering these statistics, he created a program called the We Are One project in 2017 to mentor foster kids and help them find housing and jobs. His project was not as successful as he had hoped, and many of the kids were not able to maintain jobs because they lacked experience. Reihani wanted to find a solution to this problem, so he pivoted and formed the La La Land Kind Cafe. This cafe trains and employs foster youth after they age out of the system. First started in Texas, they now have three cafes total, with four more in development. Through the cafe, Reihani created an eight week internship program for the foster youth to learn life skills, on the job training, customer service training, mentorship, and an opportunity for a job in the cafe if they desire. In addition to helping foster youth find and be able to maintain jobs, the La La Land Kind Cafe has a mission to cultivate and spread kindness throughout the community. They also strive to be a model for other businesses to give back to the community and value the people in the business and surrounding community.
Francois Reihani’s unique way to to solve multiple different problems through one business is very unique and innovative. He is driven by finding a way to help foster youth find stable jobs and housing, which can clearly be seen through his creation of the We Are One project and the La La Land Kind Cafe. He is also passionate about spreading and encouraging kindness in the community and in other businesses.
The La La Land Kind Cafe’s business model is unique because they prioritize people over profits. Also, their motivation for opening more cafes is so that they can touch more people’s lives through acts of kindness and giving back to the community. Reihani’s creative way of solving two social problems in one business and his flexibility to pivot to improve his solutions and make them more effective are just some of the ways that he exhibits entrepreneurial traits.
It is inspiring how Reihani’s main mission is focused more on the social impact than the profit. Additionally, it is inspiring how their program is designed to train foster kids with the skills and experience they need to sustain a job and continues to work with them through that process at each step. Instead of just finding a temporary solution by employing foster kids, the La La Land Kind Cafe provides the kids with the training they need to find a job in a field that they are passionate about. This extra effort is what makes the La La Land Kind Cafe unique and effective.
You can read more at: https://lalalandkindcafe.com/about/
I love this idea! I love how he combined a social problem that he was very passionate about and a business idea into something amazing. I haven’t heard of anything really like this before, and it’s very inspiring to hear about his motivation to help kids in foster care!