They’re serving up the house blend.
A Los Angeles couple have transformed their home into a buzzworthy coffee shop, thanks to a quirky California program that allows businesses to operate out of private residences.
Sydney Wayser and Isaac Watters run Granada from the lower level of their abode in Angelino Heights, serving up java and treats after feeling out of touch with the community during the pandemic, they told Eater.com.
“[We were] feeling isolated for so long, post-COVID, and then we had a daughter right after. There was a big chunk of time when we felt we were really missing community and we watched some of our favorite bars, restaurants, and coffee shops close,” Wayser explained to the outlet.
The entrepreneurs made their dream a reality with LA County’s Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation (MEHKO) permit.
The state program, for counties that have approved it, lets Wayser and Watters run the shop out of their home with limitations on how much food they can serve a week, staff, and their annual earnings.
“When we heard about the MEHKO permit, it felt like maybe we could make a community space,” Wayser said.
“Having someone come over and have tea and a pastry in your house—that’s the coziest entry point to community space.”
Granada is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. while their 3-year-old daughter is at school. Wayser said the biggest challenge is keeping the house clean and maintained all the time with a toddler.
“We have a 3-year-old, so she comes home after the coffee shop closes, runs around the house, and makes a pillow fort out of all the cushions on the sofa. We reset it in the morning before anyone comes in,” Wayser said.
If an applicant is approved for a MEKHO permit, the home shop is considered the same as other residential properties for zoning purposes, with noise ordinances, and such.
However, MEKHO business operators are still subjected to the same strict food inspections from the local health department, just like restaurants.
The inspections would require an “evaluation of the home kitchen” that must meet “all required health and safety standards.”
After the initial permitting inspection, a MEHKO “will go through one routine inspection per year. Additional inspections may be conducted in response to a complaint, or reason to suspect that unsafe food has been produced or served in the home. “
Some of the limitations on a MEKHO include:
- Food preparation is limited to a maximum of 30 meals per day or 90 meals per week. Gross annual sales are capped at $100,000 and adjusted annually according to the California Consumer Price Index.
- Only an employee of the MEHKO, or a family member, may deliver food to the consumer.
- MEHKOs may not produce, serve, or use raw milk, or serve raw oysters or any food that would require a HACCP plan/specialized process.
A review of the program found that “during the program’s first five years, 97% of MEHKOs did not receive a single complaint.”
Wayser said the idea behind their place was to harness a real and unique sense of community.
“Bringing people together and sharing art, ideas, and culture, like the older idea of a salon—to get together and to be people, not even in a networking capacity…everyone that walks in the door is feeling it, and they’re just like, I’ve been looking for this.”