Today we’d like to introduce you to Arian Behboodi.
Hi Arian , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I, Arian Behboodi, and my business partner met during the WFH covid era. I was working corporate and would go to a local coffee shops to break up the monotony. I would frequent one shop in particular where my business partner, Jared Sielski, used to work. We became friends and over time Jared presented me with more quality beans to try. This was on his own accord and separate than the coffee shop’s offerings. The coffee was so tasty and way different than something I had experienced before. I asked myself why many shop locally and in greater LA don’t use these kinds of coffee beans. Soon a new friendship sparked and Jared and I would do coffee crawls touring LA’s finest shops according to varying lists. Some were great, some were utterly disappointing… always leaving us with the question, why is the average coffee shop just not that good (in our humble opinions)?
Fast forward, we soon aligned on a simple idea that can be bifurcated into two thoughts– make a coffee shop with unparalleled drinks and quality, and bring good coffee to the valley (which we, personally felt is lacking. Although we acquiesce that can be subjective and support all local business trying to make it in this competitive environment). This idea tacked on a few had more additional aspects over time- have great hospitality, build a destination shop, and as much as we wanted to be artful in our craft, we also needed to be scaleable too. We drew inspiration from Will Guardia’s “Unreasonable Hospitality.” I was corporate smart, Jared was restaurant smart. If you haven’t read the book it basically means one of us is the Artist (Jared) one of us is the numbers guy (Arian). These two always seem at opposite ends, but the reality is, you have to be good at both. Each side of the scale will make concessions from time to time but it’s all for the greater good.
Next was the age old question, how do we fund this thing? I reached out to friends and family and skipping a lot of steps and stories, my good Friend Alex Maranslicht who is expertly trained and is a private celebrity chef decided to join us. We all invested together at various equity percentages and soon, we set out to find our locatioin.
One day we found our dream location (again skipping agonizing details) and the story began. Build out was quite arduous since we were entering an empty shell and a new building. We wanted to be intentional about our space, maximizing for space and efficiency. Inspired by french kitchens we made a three tier counter system which allows for less back and forth between baristas creating stations for each positions, and also allowing us to expo our craft to patrons sitting at the bar or waiting for their drinks. We also needed to optimize for our floor plan which was shaped quite awkwardly.
Finally, it came together. We are so proud of our location, team, and immediate (albeit still modest) success. Jared is truly a master behind bar. If he is not recipe testing for our next seasonal drink, he is measuring the TDS of our water, or training the team not just how to do things, but also why we do them. Soon, we hope to open a second location and have Alex create a chef inspired menu. Our goals are to have a premium brand, show people how good coffee and matcha could be, and train the best in class baristas. We often joke that our secret goal is to become the first Michelin rated coffee shop even though, currently that’s not a thing (for now). Coffee is an exciting and never ending rabbit hole and although its been around for years, coffee culture and tasting is still in it’s infancy. We hope to push the bounds of what is possible, but also have fun while doing it. The plan is to open strategically in varying locale’s we deem as specialty coffee dry spots. Then, we hope to be inside of premium hotels as well. The goal is not to have too many locations but just enough to make each spot feel like a true destination. We also want to make specialty coffee approachable and not pretentious. People may come for your product, but they will return based on how they feel from the experience overall. Our motto, is “the last 5%” and we want to master that extra mile mentality both in our drinks, our future food options, and in our customer service. Many more fun things on the horizon!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It was not easy getting here. We went into a new building that was not meant for coffee. It was originally set up for retail. We had to improve the power, add plumbing, and so much more. There were so many days where we thought, my gosh, we may never be able to open. Countless hours later, with lots a stress, self doubt, and sleepless nights, we made it. Our north star was getting the job done and making sure we can become a community staple. We had each other’s back throughout and the timing was meant to be. We are here now, and look forward to staying long term!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Lynx Coffee?
Our recipes are all made from scratch. Aside from raw ingredients almost everything we do for our signatures and syrups is made with high end and quality ingredients. We want to be known for specialty coffee and matcha, excellent service, and being a community staple. The plan is to be a premium coffee brand that serves every cup with intentionality and quality, and at the same time, makes coffee approachable. Our plan is to push the upper bounds of what coffee and coffee culture can be, and lead the next wave of coffee shops. Despite its popularity, coffee is actually still in its infancy and we really want to showcase the delicious variety of flavor notes. A sommelier approach if you will. There are so many things that go into a “good” cup from optimal farming practices, working with proficient roasters, and creating calculated brew methods. All this, to make everyone’s morning perk that much more enjoyable. And let’s not forget about matcha because she’s having a moment! Another fun rabbit hole with flavor notes of it’s own, which we study and try to offer a wide scale menu offering.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Drink better coffee… Don’t settle when it comes to your coffee or matcha. Seek quality and variety. Support local businesses that actually care and work hard to provide value. It’s an important beverage or two or three that you may consume daily so why not get the best available. Coffee culture is incredible. It’s about passion, art, and connection. Take your time wherever you are and enjoy that first sip feeling!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lynxcoffee.com
- Instagram: lynxcoffeeco
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lynx-coffee-sherman-oaks?osq=Lynx+Coffee
- Other: lynxcoffeeco (on tik tok)
Image Credits
Nathan Ko (Lynx Coffee team member)
