Today we’d like to introduce you to Hesham Bakr.
Hesham, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
The idea for Duino Coffee started in my Junior year at the University of San Francisco, 22 years ago! My vision was to create a hub for the community to enjoy local fine arts, experience live music, conduct business, engage, interact and meet other like-minded people. Our tag line is “Strangers Become Friends.”
The idea lived on as a dream for years, but never evolved into reality. Instead, I chose to pursue a global corporate c-suite career with major organizations including The Walt Disney Company, Yum! Brands and Raising Cane’s. I always felt professionally successful, but something was always missing; I never felt completely fulfilled.
Three years ago, after completing my MBA at Texas A&M University, I started writing the business plan for Duino Coffee, and eventually decided to leave the safety of my career to pursue my life long passion. Duino Coffee represents a lifelong dream that has been brewing (pun intended) for years. It is my legacy that I will leave for my three young kids, Jenna, Taline and Zain, who proudly introduce themselves as “the future owners of Duino Coffee.”
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Entrepreneurship is all about managing risk, especially in my case where I left the safety of a high paying career. I tried to anticipate issues by planning for every part of the business and carefully analyzed every decision. But you can never plan for the unexpected. Contractor issues, city permits delays, crew hiring and training, and cash flow planning are just a few challenges that all new businesses have to overcome.
But smaller issues can turn into major challenges too. For example, on our first day of operation, we realized that our vendor sent us lids that don’t fit the coffee cups. We did not realize this issue until we made our first-ever sale! I immediately ran to the nearest donut shop to get coffee cups (and lids!!). This customer is a regular now and laughs at this story to this day.
Duino Coffee – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a craft coffee shop that serves locally roasted and directly sourced coffee beans and premium teas. We also have a full menu of pastries, breakfast, lunch and quick bites, which are all made to order in-house. We make most of our menu items from scratch; for example, our pastries are baked in-house; our pesto is made daily with fresh basil and all-natural ingredients; and the salsa that we serve with our “Egg-cellent” breakfast tacos are made with fresh tomatoes, onions, jalapenos and cilantro.
The quality of our food and drinks is just the beginning. The overall experience is further enhanced by an oversized seating area with distinct sections to accommodate all types of experiences. We have a large farmers table for meetings and groups, leather loungers and sofas for those who want to relax, and traditional tables of various sizes.
We are a registered art gallery that focuses on local artists. We provide our artists much more than just wall space. We host artist receptions, invite customers for live painting sessions and help promote the artists through our social media channels. All at no cost to artists!
We are also active participants in our community. We sponsor area schools, host open mic for budding talent, host local professional musicians and always search for opportunities to actively make a positive impact on the community we serve.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I strive to be a positive role model and a source of inspiration for my kids. I don’t think that my legacy will be a college fund and a large inheritance for my kids. I want them to grow up believing that they should and can pursue their passion, not just a paycheck. There is really nothing more important to me in life than to help my kids be positive participants in the community, feel empowered and have a sense of fulfillment.
Contact Info:
- Address: 7650 Stacy Rd,
Mckinney, TX 75070 - Website: www.duinocoffee.com
- Phone: 469-424-0050
- Email: hello@duinocoffee.com
- Instagram: @duinocoffee
- Facebook: @duinocoffee
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/duino-coffee-mckinney
Image Credit:
All photos are originals taken by Hesham Bakr
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
