Ramzi Budayr opened Dolores Deluxe, a historic neighborhood market featuring made-to-order sandwiches, homemade baked goods, fresh bread, prepared food, and over 200 wines in San Francisco’s Mission District in 2022. Prior to that, Ramzi held several hospitality leadership positions, including managing partner at Marlena, general manager of the NoMad Hotel in Los Angeles and head maître d’ at Eleven Madison Park in New York.
On an episode of Forever Neighbor, Ramzi interviews Eileen Rinaldi, founder of Ritual Coffee Roasters. Ritual started on Valencia Street in the Mission over two decades ago and today has three more locations, including in Napa and at San Francisco International Airport. Here, Ramzi shares the lessons he learned from Eileen on how to lead with authenticity and hold onto it as you grow.
Ritual was one of the early pioneers of third-wave coffee in San Francisco. What did you take away from Eileen’s vision to change how people experience coffee?
Ramzi Budayr: What really shocked me was that Ritual was the very first third-wave coffee shop in San Francisco. That’s crazy! Eileen had some experience at third-wave coffee places in DC, and then went to Seattle. But she always knew she wanted to move to San Francisco. When she couldn’t find any good coffee shops here, she felt it was her calling to open Ritual on Valencia. And within three days there was a line down the block, because there weren’t any other places that were doing coffee at that level.
I can’t imagine being the first to do it in a city like San Francisco, which is now regarded internationally as a coffee city. What an incredible market advantage to be the first mover and to do it so well and so responsibly. Eileen had to start roasting her own beans, because there was an issue with the supply chain. Because she’d never done it before, she accidentally developed her own style of roasting coffee that’s technically wrong and extremely labor-intensive. But you can tell that it’s still such a point of pride for her. That was really cool to hear in today’s business environment when everyone is always talking about how to get more efficient and go faster.
What stands out to you about Ritual’s connection to place, particularly the Mission District, and what does that say about the importance of community to their growth?
Ramzi Budayr: Eileen is the head of the Valencia Corridor Merchants Association, so she’s currently doing a lot to help shape the future of Valencia Street. And Ritual has been there for over 20 years, so at this point it’s an institution. I really appreciate how they have a little pastry case that’s mostly filled with pastries made within walking distance. And now they stock canned coffee products, which we sell at Dolores Deluxe, featuring artwork representing different neighborhoods.
The art is not only really beautiful and eye-catching, but it also includes cool little Easter eggs for people who live in the Mission. It’s very authentic and also made by Galine Tumasyan, an artist who lives just a few blocks away from Ritual Valencia. So Eileen is very intentional about weaving the Mission into the story and also platforming people who live in the neighborhood. The Ritual location in the airport has a huge mural spanning the entire coffee shop with even more Easter eggs done by Galine. So from end to end, Eileen stretches that representation out as much as possible. I think that’s super cool.
What does Ritual’s journey say about longevity as a food business today?
Ramzi Budayr: I think it’s really just staying true to who you are and remembering your roots. With every expansion and every new opportunity you have a choice. You either choose to follow the shiny new object, or mirror the original patina of your prized possession, your firstborn. And that’s what impresses me with the Ritual at SFO. It feels straight up like you’re walking into a neighborhood spot, but it’s in the airport. So I think that’s really the key to Eileen’s success and longevity.
Of course, Eileen’s investment in product is really important too — making sure that the quality is not only consistent, but evolving. And she makes sure that all of her coffee growers are getting paid well above market. So now with tariffs and some of the larger global economic implications, her folks are in a much more stable position than some of the other growers. I think it’s important to lead with intention and be really values-driven. You’re playing the long game and investing in long-term relationships, and that can bear fruit and ensure that you can ride these tumultuous changes that will invariably come up.
What can other mission-driven businesses learn from how Ritual balances operational efficiency with thoughtful growth?
Ramzi Budayr: As far as efficiency, one thing Eileen mentioned that I connected with immediately was how she checks her Square Dashboard as her way of decompressing at the end of the day. We all live and breathe our businesses, but with multiple locations she can’t always be there on the ground. So it’s great that we can check in when we need to, and we can get pretty granular with the data.
When it comes to growth, a lot of success depends on your product and training. Also, sometimes you have to take your time and do extra research when it’s something brand new. To her credit, Eileen was approached a while back about doing an airport project and she said no. But she kind of left the door open by starting to wholesale her beans to another airport cafe. As a result, she got a chance to get to know the systems and the people involved before she went all in and opened a Ritual at SFO. She found a way to figure things out ahead of time, which made it easier to focus on expressing Ritual in an authentic way in what’s otherwise a sterile space.
