Dandelion Cafe
Sarah Lieberman founded Dandelion Cafe in 2016. With a background and lifelong passion for coffee and hospitality, she brings experience in industrial and product design, seven years in the coffee industry, and a deep understanding of guest experience and hospitality, all of which have shaped the way she’s built Dandelion Cafe.
Lieberman has received several types of SBA assistance to help the growth of her business. In 2015, Lieberman met weekly with SCORE Houston to receive small business mentorship prior to opening Dandelion Cafe in August 2016. During the COVID pandemic, Dandelion Cafe was able to receive a Paycheck Protection Loan and a COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan to help with operations. Furthermore, in the Spring of 2021, Lieberman participated in the SBA Emerging Leaders entrepreneur training program. When Hurricane Beryl hit Houston, Lieberman was able to continue operations with the assistance of an Economic Injury Disaster Loan. In 2024, to grow the business, Lieberman received a 7(a) loan through Agility Bank for expansion purposes.
Sarah was raised in the restaurant business and learned early that the industry experienced significant swings in revenue - even in the best of times. She took this to heart, and when she began Dandelion Cafe, she built 'survival' into the DNA of her business. Without this forethought and the SB’As help, Dandelion may not have survived. Business was adversely affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Beryl, but neither were as tough as COVID. When the order came from the local government to shut down to prevent the spread of the pandemic, Sarah continued paying her staff thanks to her emergency funds. While others sat idle during shutdown, Sarah redesigned her kitchen to be more efficient, changed ordering and inventory systems to minimize shrinkage and spoilage, added prepackaged items that the restaurant made in-house and introduced an online ordering platform for to-go and curbside orders. Consequently, Dandelion Cafe withstood COVID (and Harvey and Beryl) and more, and each time it emerged stronger, more stable and able to grow!
Dandelion Cafe has maintained consistent growth and financial stability since its founding. As customer demand has increased, the business has continued to strengthen its operations, expand its footprint and invest in the team. In 2022, the business operated a single location, supported by 26 employees. In 2023, financial performance improved significantly following increased brand visibility after winning the Good Morning America “United States of Breakfast” Houston competition. Total sales increased and employee count grew to support higher demand and operational needs. In 2024, the business entered a major expansion phase with the opening of a second location at Rice University and a third location at the Heights Clocktower in Houston. As a result, total sales increased substantially with the number of employees increasing to 62 to support multi-location operations.
Due to their continued success, Dandelion Cafe is the recipient of the 2026 Houston District Small Business Person of the Year award.