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Local chains Flying Star, Satellite sell to crew of longtime employees
Owners say they view themselves as 鈥榮tewards of a legacy鈥�
Published
Some people go to Flying Star Cafe for the food, and some go for a cozy spot to join a virtual work meeting. For Margaret Johnson and Sophie Baldonado, it鈥檚 been a place to meet new friends, share life鈥檚 joys and challenges, and pray together.
鈥淚t鈥檚 our home away from home,鈥� Baldonado said.
The pair, both retirees living in sa国际传媒官网网页入口, make it a point to gather with each other and two other friends at the local cafe chain every Tuesday 鈥� a tradition they鈥檝e sustained for at least 20 years. What鈥檚 kept them coming back, they said, is Flying Star鈥檚 small-town feel, and the ability to sit and chat without being rushed out the door.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a community; you get to know people,鈥� Johnson said.
鈥淚 mean, we go up and order, and they know what we鈥檙e going to order,鈥� Baldonado added.
Maintaining Flying Star as a community space is a priority for the company鈥檚 new owners, who took the reins of the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 staple 鈥� and its sister companies Satellite Coffee, Rio Chan Foods and Rio Chan Brands 鈥� in March.
The new ownership comprises a crew of five employees who have been with Flying Star between eight and 18 years. They are Flying Star CEO Carissa Rivera, Flying Star Chief Financial Officer Lynette Gurule-Thomas, Rio Chan Brands Vice President John Jones, Flying Star Director of Operations Jared Trujillo and Rio Chan Foods Director of Operations Tom Sparks.
鈥�(We all) consider it to (be) an honor,鈥� Jones said of the opportunity to own the business. 鈥淲e look at it less like buying something or taking over something than becoming stewards of a legacy.鈥�
The Flying Star legacy started nearly four decades ago with founders Mark and Jean Bernstein, who owned the business up until March. The married couple first launched the venture as an ice cream store by the name of Double Rainbow, but as time passed, customers started asking for more and more variety.
鈥淧eople come in and go, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 great, got anything to eat? Hey, how about this, and how about that?鈥欌�� Jean Bernstein said. 鈥淚t was just an evolution.鈥�
Over the years, the Bernsteins added a bakery, kitchen and magazine store to their Nob Hill ice cream shop, which they eventually rebranded as Flying Star Cafe in 1994. Jean Bernstein said 鈥渓istening to customers鈥� is ultimately what shaped the business into the 鈥渕odern, eclectic diner鈥� it is today. The chain now has six locations across sa国际传媒官网网页入口 and offers everything from a simple cup of coffee to a full-blown meal.
Rio Chan Foods is responsible for making the baked goods that people find at Flying Star and Satellite Coffee. The latter business was born out of Flying Star roasting its own coffee, officially becoming its own entity in 1998. Satellite will open its sixth location at ABQ Uptown in a space formerly occupied by Starbucks this summer.
Rivera said inspiration for the new location came in the form of an unexpected request from the property鈥檚 owner to bring a local brand to the shopping center.
鈥淚t was an opportunity that was something we couldn鈥檛 decline,鈥� Rivera said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great location. It鈥檚 an area that鈥檚 constantly busy (with) really nice businesses and little pockets of neighborhoods, so it worked out.鈥�
The new location will employ roughly 15 people, adding to the team of more than 360 people that Flying Star and all of its sister companies employ. That includes Rio Chan Brands 鈥� a corporate office that oversees human services, accounting, training and marketing for the three companies.
The Bernsteins are assisting the new ownership team in opening that new Satellite location before officially retiring.
The Flying Star founders have been eyeing retirement and working on a succession plan for a little more than a year. The Bernsteins entertained interest from out-of-state investment firms, but they ultimately felt those companies didn鈥檛 have the right vision for Flying Star.
鈥淚 just knew they were going to come in and tear it apart, and I didn鈥檛 like that idea,鈥� Jean Bernstein said. She said Rivera, Gurule-Thomas, Jones, Trujillo and Sparks eventually approached her saying, 鈥淲e can do this.鈥�
鈥淎nd I knew they could,鈥� she said.
The new owners said they never envisioned working their way up to ownership when they first joined Flying Star and its sister companies.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a little bit of a dream come true,鈥� Rivera said.
For Trujillo, that dream started when a former Flying Star chef visited and gave a presentation during his senior year of high school.
鈥淟o and behold, (nearly) 20-some years later, here I am,鈥� Trujillo said.
The co-owners said new additions coming to the business include technology upgrades and plans to participate in the community more through events. The owners also plan to keep up with Flying Star鈥檚 tradition of listening to customers and adapting as requested 鈥� including exploring the return of nostalgic menu items the co-owners said they鈥檝e been asked to bring back.
But 鈥� much to the relief of regulars like Johnson and Baldonado 鈥� the business and its community-oriented feel will largely stay the same, the owners said.
鈥�(These brands) are very community supported, and we don鈥檛 want to see that change,鈥� Trujillo said. 鈥淎s a matter of fact, we want that to grow.鈥�
Sparks and Gurule-Thomas agreed, adding that they value the respect Flying Star and Satellite have earned across sa国际传媒官网网页入口 and aim to approach the business with the mindset that they could always do better.
Jean Bernstein said she has confidence in the new ownership team and their ability to keep Flying Star true to its roots while bringing a mixed bag of fresh ideas to the business.
鈥淚 think that they will be very good operators, and I think that they understand the business, not only its operation, but its place in the community,鈥� Jean Bernstein said. 鈥淲e feel like we created something more than just restaurants 鈥� and I think these guys understand that fully, and they want to keep it exactly like that.鈥�
Rivera hopes the change of hands also shows employees currently with the business 鈥� some of whom are brand new and others who have been with the company for 35 years 鈥� that climbing up the ladder and developing a future within Flying Star is a possibility for them, too.
鈥淚 think it shows employees that hard work, dedication and perseverance is worth the effort. On the other hand, it鈥檚 not for the faint of heart 鈥� you have to have grit in the pursuit,鈥� Rivera said.
Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.
