Marlee Becker is living her dream of being a restaurateur.<\/p>\n
But it was a long time coming.<\/p>\n
She worked next door at Dirty Birds for 11 years, where she was a server and bartender before working her way up to general manager.<\/p>\n
Finally, she got her shot at running her own restaurant. \u201cWe saw this space and thought that would be a really great place for a cafe,\u201d said Becker of Drift Cafe at 4652 Mission Blvd., which has been open since May 2021.<\/p>\n
Drift Cafe\u2019s new space had previously been a surf shop, a brewery tasting room, and a cinnamon roll place. \u201cEveryone actually joked with me, when I signed a lease here, they said, \u2018That location is cursed.\u2019 I said, \u2018That\u2019s not nice, I just think nobody wanted to put in the time to do it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Added Becker, \u201cI wanted to work for myself. You know, the American dream.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pointing out she is \u201cnot good with authority\u201d preferring instead to \u201cbe the authority,\u201d Becker noted, \u201cWith that comes a lot of work. But I\u2019m not afraid of a little hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Becker is in good company in the retail neighborhood on Mission Boulevard with the likes of Surf Taco, which has been in operation for more than 30 years right across the street. \u201cLots of staples on this kind of block,\u201d she added. \u201cI feel like Mission Boulevard is just a good spot. And since I was familiar with the location for so long, I knew it would have good foot traffic and be where I needed to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
The menu at Drift Cafe is as varied as the clientele offering both breakfast and lunch items. The menu of the coffee cafe offers all-day food including a pesto scramble, seasonal bircher overnight oats, eggs and toast, quiche slices, a vegan burrito, a grilled cheese sandwich, a Baja burrito, a soup of the day, a breakfast sandwich, a breakfast plate, French toast, carne asada street tacos, an acai bowl, breakfast bowls, muffins, croissants, fruit salad, and avocado toast.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything is homemade,\u201d concluded Becker of her menu.<\/p>\n
The beverage menu is also extensive featuring smoothies, kombucha, apple juice, lattes, iced teas, cappuccinos, cortados, mochas, hot chocolate, and espresso.<\/p>\n
Becker added Drift Cafe is available too as an event space. \u201cWe rent it out in the evenings,\u201d she said, adding they have a couple of tables outside as well as indoor seating. \u201cEventually I\u2019d like to open it up so it’s more indoor-outdoor,\u201d Becker noted about her future plans adding, \u201cAll in due time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Noting she\u2019s had this cafe concept since 2012, Becker wanted her new business space to be \u201cbeachy but not too beachy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pointing out that people and water can both drift, Becker noted the name seemed appropriate. And she has d\u00e9cor inside to match, with a huge mural painted by one of her friends on a back wall along with a huge photo of driftwood taken by another friend.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did all the design and d\u00e9cor by myself,\u201d noted Becker. \u201cWe actually raised the floor six inches. I painted all of the walls myself. My husband built the sign outside. And all my plants came from my best friends as a present. It\u2019s a community space: I really enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n
DRIFT CAFE
\nWhere: 4652 Mission Blvd
\nHours: 6:30 a.m.-2 p.m. daily.<\/p>\n