The local, trendy brunch spot in San Dimas, CA, Butter Cafe and Bakery, has set the bar beyond high when it comes to a restaurant with both exquisite food and great customer service. Founded in 2015 by Ryan Angelo Buan and his partner Heather Sulaeman, the two joined forces to start up their restaurant chain with a vision and a dream of having a place of their own. The two built Butter into a triple threat among their competitors, with a menu of artisan pastries, specialty coffee, and comfort food unlike any other.
Butter Cafe and Bakery’s trademarks are family and authenticity; they are known for playing a pivotal role in San Dimas by bringing the community together. Additionally, their ideologies of fresh food made in-house is what transformed this spot from starting off small to becoming revolutionary in the overall community.
This is a behind-the-scenes look at how Butter Cafe and Bakery became one of San Dimas’s most prized spots and continues to serve as a communal landmark where locals and students gather to share food and good conversation.
Ryan Angelo Buan, the President/CEO of Butter Cafe and Bakery, explains that his restaurant’s success stems from several factors. Buan explains that as soon as a customer walks into Butter, they are immediately welcomed into a warm, welcoming environment, which is presented by their staff. Customers are then awed by the menu’s diverse options, which make the cafe so unique. Continuously, when a customer’s food is brought to their table, they are immediately impressed by the quality and taste of the food items.
Mikaela Jollevanos, a Junior at San Dimas High School, appreciates the food diversity as she goes on to say, “Butter honestly stands out to me more than any other diner because of their wide range of dishes. They’re not your average diner. I love how they incorporated Filipino food with American breakfast! They did a great job representing my culture.”
Junior Sophie Atalla, describes her favorite menu item as being the Challah French Toast. Attalla goes on to say that the breakfast food quality at Butter is unlike any other place. “I feel like there is just a happy morning kind of vibe in the restaurant. It’s just a great place to start your day.”
Another Saint, Lilly Homyak, states, “Butter has amazing avocado toast and the cutest aesthetic vibe. It always feels so comfortable and homey inside.”
Butter’s success can be seen to be gained from more than just the food that is served from the kitchen. Buan explains how important it is to develop a relationship with the community which makes customers more inclined to return to their restaurant more frequently. He depicts this as being the key to their restaurant surviving in the food industry, which can be a hit or miss at times.
