NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — People are waiting hours in line for a taste of Nashville's newest coffee sensation, but it's not just the drinks that have customers coming back.
La La Land Kind Café in the 12 South neighborhood has lines wrapping around the block, with customers willing to wait up to two hours for their specialty drinks and the unique experience that comes with them.
"How do you sum it up? Kind, cute, magical," Manager Eden Cohen said. "I think the coffee is delicious. The matcha is the best matcha in the world, and it's the experience that you're waiting for."
What makes this place truly special is that every purchase comes with a meaningful interaction.
"I feel like they're my best friends. The girl was like, 'Love you.' And I didn't know that that was like a thing. And I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I love you too.' And then I realized I said it to everyone, not just me, but I loved it," a customer said.
"We really mean it when we say, 'I love you,' and to get to spread that kindness throughout the community," said Manager Hailey Hoefling.
The kindness extends beyond customer service. La La Land's mission includes providing employment opportunities for youth aging out of foster care.
"We provide a holistic program, there's therapy, there's self-guided courses, and they do work in the cafe alongside us," Cohen explained.
That's the reason team member Veronica Alford joined the staff.
"I didn't have a lot of support, especially with aging out. So I kind of had to, like, learn everything on my own. And it was, it was not easy," Alford said.
Now she gets to spread that love to those who need it most.
"I know I didn't hear it as like, a foster youth and like, when that somebody told me that for the first time, I was like, 'This is crazy,' but it made my heart so warm. And I was like, 'Now I can give that back to other people,'" Alford said.
For those interested in the café's mission, applications for their paid internship program for foster youth between the ages of 16 and 24 are currently open until August 3. Click here to apply.
Do you have a positive story about your community to share? You can email me at Patsy.Montesinos@Newschannel5.com
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