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When Allen residents Shawn and Rachel Chin said “I do” on May 4, 2025—which Shawn Chin points out is “Star Wars Day”—they had 20 days of business ownership behind them.
The Chins opened Sweet Bear Café April 14, 2025, in Allen.
“It was my wife’s dream to own a small business,” Shawn Chin said.
On the menu
Prior to opening the cafe, which serves sweet and savory treats and a wide variety of drinks, Rachel Chin met with a Korean manufacturer to design the mold that is used for the cafe’s signature menu item, the Sweet Bears.
“My inspiration was my husband,” Rachel Chin said as to why she chose to make a bear mold. “Whenever I look at him, he looks like a bear.”
Sweet Bears, which can be ordered in pairs, five-packs or as a combo with ice cream, are made fresh to order. Although the Chins have opted for a bear mold for the Korean dessert, in Japan the dessert style is called taiyaki and is shaped like a fish.
“The best way we can describe them is that they’re very crispy on the outside, but then they’re soft and kind of fluffy on the inside—like marshmallows—kind of airy,” Shawn Chin said.
Sweet and savory filling options are available, including bacon and cheddar, which is served with a side of marinara. The top three filling options are Nutella, Oreo and Bavarian cream custard.
Popular drink items include matcha, Korean strawberry milk and Sugar Mommy, which is a latte featuring vanilla, sweet cream and brown sugar.
The Chins share the responsibility of creating menu items and have focused a lot of effort into perfecting their boba. Shawn Chin said customers who tried their boba when they first opened will notice a marked difference from what they serve now.
“We would honestly say our boba could compete as one of the top five here in north Dallas,” Shawn Chin said. “Chicha San Chen is a reputable [boba brand] around the world. They’ve won awards that are equal to Michelin stars in Taiwan. Our boba, I would say, is not exactly on par, but dang, we are close.”
Because Shawn and Rachel Chin are lactose intolerant, they spent a lot of time creating drink recipes that were lactose free, resulting in 97% of their drinks being lactose free.
The backstory
Shawn Chin grew up in Allen and attended Allen ISD schools from kindergarten through high school graduation. Rachel Chin grew up in Keller. The Chins met at a small Korean Baptist church while they were both students at the University of North Texas in Denton.
While in college, Rachel Chin worked at a doughnut store for three years and Shawn Chin’s parents owned doughnut shops while he was growing up, allowing him to get firsthand industry experience. Rachel Chin majored in marketing and Shawn Chin majored in finance.
Although Shawn Chin’s father passed away as Shawn was graduating from college, the customer-first values he taught his son continue to guide the business today.
“My dad always said, ‘If anything is wrong, please let me know,’” Shawn Chin said. “Some people say I should change that because you don’t want people to think that something’s wrong with the food. But for me, I understand if they get something—and it’s not exactly what they want—they just stay quiet, don’t enjoy it and don’t come back. We want them to come back.”
