A first look inside Fort Worth’s TCU Ampersand cafe renovations, when it will reopen

Inside Look stories give Star-Telegram subscribers exclusive sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes reporting. Story suggestion? Editors@star-telegram.com.

Toan Luong is living his dream.

From a college student without a business degree to owner of a brick-and-mortar coffee shop, Ampersand, Luong has built a successful brand from scratch.

Java fanatics in Fort Worth know the coffee shop well.

Curtains will rise sometime in May on the extensive months-long renovations Luong and his partner, Mimi Lu, are doing at their 3025 S. University St. location. In a few days, thousands of weary travelers will get to taste what all the brew-haha is all about when Ampersand’s $2 million self-service cafe inside Terminal C at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport debuts.

But let’s be serious, devoted fans of the coffee shop can’t wait to see what Luong and Lu have in mind for their storefront on University Drive.

“I think first and foremost everything is inspired by home. And home is Fort Worth.” Luong told the Star-Telegram. “Life has been very serendipitous. And, you know, I owe a lot of my success to just being in the right place at the right time.”

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The building the cafe calls home on University Drive was once owned by the Schuester family, where the iconic Record Town store did business for 70 years. When the business moved to a new location in 2019, Luong was offered the lease to the building — a prime piece of real estate.

He jumped at the opportunity, turning the storefront into a cafe.

Then when the shipping store next door, The Box, closed last year, it opened the door for Luong and his partners to tear down walls and renovate.

What’s in store for Ampersand’s University Drive cafe?

Kissing the campus of Texas Christian University, across the street from Luong’s freshman dorm when he was at TCU, sits Ampersand. The plan is to turn the location into a cafe and nightclub. It is an idea the business partners have tried at their West 7th location: a coffee shop by day and a bar by night.

While you might find a coffee-liqueur-based drink or two on the cocktail menus of some local restaurants, the Star-Telegram reported in 2017, this is the first cocktail bar in North Texas that is dominated by coffee-infused cocktails, which are usually absent from the menus of cocktail-dedicated bars.

Customers sip on espresso while catching up on work from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. After a lightning hour transformation, the bar begins serving espresso martinis until 2 a.m.

Luong said the evolution of the idea was inevitable based on where it is: At the heart of one of the city’s bustling entertainment districts. The concept has been a resounding success, why not replicate it at their TCU location?

Luong and Lu stressed the importance of how Ampersand is a community-driven coffee shop, and they feel the overwhelming support from TCU.

“TCU has had a significant impact in our lives. Truly, we’re only truly here because of their support” Luong said.

Ampersand’s Fort Worth history has deep roots at TCU

Let’s start from the beginning.

When Luong began at Texas Christian University, his freshman college dorm, Clark Hall, happened to be across the street from where Ampersand now sits.

He was studying to go to medical school and be a dentist. He even got a full ride through the university’s Community Scholarship program. But after a semester in college, the dream ended. He was kicked out. A sequence of events he said he does not wish to revisit.

Luong transferred to The University of Texas at Arlington where he earned a bachelor’s degree. It was at UT-Arlington that he and his high school pal, and now business partner, Lu, were reunited.

Shortly after finishing college, Luong and Dominic Vu opened the Bledsoe Street location but without a particular vision in mind. Lu was dabbling in her own coffee business around the same time. One thing led to another, and the idea for Ampersand clicked into focus.

Building their latest venture has been driven by an experienced staff, Luong said, that includes Michael Ferrari and Daniel Stallion who brought their expertise in the hospitality industry with them.

Years later, as a successful Fort Worth businessman, TCU invites Luong to sit on the selection panel for the same scholarship program that had kicked him out.

“The silver lining is that the same scholarship, that unfortunately kicked me out, gave me an opportunity to be on the same committee to choose the next recipient’s sphere.” Luong said, “I actually just participated in the panel about about a week ago, we gave away millions of dollars in scholarships to underserved [students] in college or high school kids around the area.”

Ampersand: Where laid back California vibes with New York chic

Ideas that have fueled the Ampersand revolution were inspired by the partners’ travel coast to coast — from beachy California to New York chic.

“We always talk about surfing, and riding the wave, so let’s just ride that wave.” said Lu.

An apt analogy to the risks they took in deciding to expand the company.

The shop on University Drive has touches inspired by both coasts. The storefront reflects California beach culture — complete with a wave graphic — while the interior has a sophisticated ambiance reminiscent of the Big Apple.

“Especially the TCU location, everything that you see in there has been built by us. When we first started we had zero money.” said Luong.

Ampersand on University is to open sometime in May. Operations will run during the day as a coffee and study spot and at night as a bar with a DJ.