Meet Danielle Young of Revival Eastside Eatery and Street Dog Cafe

Hi Danielle, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers. 
My name is Danielle Young, and I am the owner of two local spots in Waco, Revival Eastside Eatery and Street Dog Cafe. I opened Revival Eastside Eatery in July 2019. We really wanted a place where you could have tasty food that didn’t hurt your stomach (not novel, but novel for Waco) and outstanding service (again, not novel, but novel for Waco). Revival Eastside Eatery has a simple, yet tasty menu serving salads, sandwiches, and burgers. We do community-style serving with the kindest and most observant staff. As we have grown over the past few years, we needed a larger kitchen. When a sweet bakery (pun intended!) closed three blocks away from Revival Eastside Eatery, we decided to purchase the space to increase our offsite catering. In September 2023, we opened Street Dog Cafe. Street Dog Cafe has a full espresso bar, small breakfast menu, and one lunch special a day. We partner with the local humane society to feature dogs and help with their adoptions. So, our Instagram is full of delicious baked goods and adorable pups. A win, win. In another life, I was a psychologist. While I still work in this capacity some, my main purpose is bringing people together through food.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Revival Eastside Eatery opened in July 2019, which means we got a head start to COVID. Shortly after COVID, the City of Waco started citywide construction and removed access to our building for nearly a year. I have learned how to advocate for my business and employees, which has been challenging and rewarding. I have learned to be creative, flexible, and steadfast in our mission to provide quality food and service.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Revival Eastside Eatery – serves salads, sandwiches, burgers, beer, and wine. We are best known for our Golden Calf burger, which has whipped herb goat cheese, caramelized balsamic onions, lemon garlic aioli, and arugula. It is almost 1/3 of our sales, which is impressive! We are a small operation that has consistent food and a strong reputation in Waco. We don’t pay for any advertising or marketing, which means any review is honest and real. I am proud to be a female business owner and operator!

Street Dog Cafe – small breakfast menu, baked goods made in-house, and full espresso bar. We are known for our delicious sticky buns with homemade caramel “goo” and cinnamon sugar on top and bacon cheddar biscuits. We always have fun experimenting with delicious cakes and pies. I am proud to have a partnership with the humane society, which includes donating time and money. When not at work, you will find me walking and petting all of the dogs (I am a sucker for any Pitbull on site) at the shelter. We bring at least one dog a week to the cafe to get them love on social media, plus they get exposure coming to the cafe and homemade dog treats. One of my personal dogs, Otis, is actually the logo. Otis is our original Waco Street dog.

What do you think about happiness?
A hot latte with vanilla syrup, saving dogs, and people laughing.

I care a lot about my staff – caring for them brings me joy. We pay for their health/dental insurance in full and purchase rent homes, so they have affordable housing. Even though we are a small business, we can care in big ways for our team.

I care a lot about dogs. I originally got so overwhelmed by the humane society (it is heartbreaking to see so many dogs that have not been cared for), but started to go 2-3 times per week to contribute. Walking a dog for 15-20 minutes may be the only time they get out in three to five days. You get to be the best part of their week.