Perez grew up cooking with his family as a child, leading to a 20-year culinary career, almost 10 of which were at Old West Cafe. But he always hoped to have a place all his own. His hopes finally came to fruition when he opened Texas Star Cafe last year with his wife, daughter and two sons, but it was not without struggles along the way.
The inflation plaguing food and produce items over the past year was difficult to surmount for a budding restaurant, Perez said. In early 2023, the price of eggs skyrocketed, and a case of 15 dozen eggs cost him $90. While that subsided as time went on, the price of bacon and other goods was almost double what he normally pays as recently as three weeks ago at $160 a case.
But the cafe continued to chug along, and Perez attributes their success to the quality of his food and their customer service. Servers strive to find a balance between checking tables often without overdoing it, he said.
“I want the customers to feel like they are at home,” he said.
The cafe’s themed decor aims to capture that Texas feel with food portions to match and a full coffee bar with hot or iced lattes and mochas; cappuccinos; or specialty drinks, such as Americanos and hot chocolate.
One of Perez’s favorites from the kitchen is the Texas Star, a four-egg omelet stuffed with ham, bacon, sausage, bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, hash browns and a three-cheese blend. He also recommends the chilaquiles, a fried tortilla tossed in red or green salsa and served with chicken or steak drizzled in sour cream and topped with queso fresco, saffron and onions with a side of two eggs and refried beans.
Perez said he oversees all of the cooking to ensure top quality, and the cafe uses fresh ingredients for every order.
“When I used to work at Old West, we would make all the bacon in the morning and use it all day; for us, we make fresh bacon with every order. It takes a little longer, but it's better,” he said.
The cafe only serves breakfast and lunch but plans to open during dinner hours in the future, Perez said. For dinner, he plans to offer a range of pastas, salads, meatloafs, catfish and more. Once the cafe starts serving dinner, it will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then reopen from 5-10 p.m.
Perez said his dream is to one day expand to multiple locations and hire more employees so he can spend more time with his family.
“I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported us and to those who haven’t been able to try us out to give us a chance. We have different types of food to satisfy everyone’s taste,” Perez said.
Texas Star Cafe
1901 Long Prairie Road, Ste. 180, Flower Mound
214-513-9959. www.txstarcafe.com
Hours: 7 a.m.-2 p.m. daily
