Reihani grew up in L.A., studying at the University of Southern California before relocating to Texas and transferring to Southern Methodist University in Dallas. A young entrepreneur, he ventured into hospitality, opening a poke spot and restaurant, , then sold his shares before imagining La La Land Kind Café .“I was making a lot of money,” he said of the former business endeavors. “I just wasn’t really happy with what I was doing.
Employees at the café tell customers, “We love you” after getting an order. It’s a personal habit of Reihani’s to often say “love you,” he said, and he incorporated it into the business. On TikTok, that message of kindness has resonated with viewers; the café counts over 6.4 million followers on the app.
“They learn all the regular job skills,” Reihani said of the internship. “But because they’re not actually put onto a shift, on the schedule, the pressure is off, and they’re actually able to just learn and soak in the experience.” The concept for La La Land Kind Café came to life after Reihani met with a Dallas-based organization that works in foster care and learned about the issues impacting its youth. It inspired him to start his own nonprofit, We Are One Project, with the mission to “provide the right tools for businesses to come together and employ foster youth.”“We were giving them housing, therapy, mentorship, all these things,” he explained.