Husband and wife David Martin and Linda McCall own XO Coffee Company in downtown Plano. (Erick Pirayesh / Community Impact Journal)
Before David Martin met his wife Linda McCall, he believed corporate chains were the ultimate coffee solution. When the couple first started dating, McCall took Martin to local coffee shops all over the Dallas area.
“I tasted my first real latte, [and] you might just taste the difference, ”said Martin. “We started to dream of…” What if we had our own coffee? “”
The couple opened XO Coffee Company in downtown Plano in 2017. They said the store’s name symbolized the relationship they formed while sipping coffee together.
“When we were dating, [and] texting back and forth… our thing was XO, ”said Martin. “When people come to a cafe, they want to come in for love and connection. We thought XO symbolized this and had this personal meaning between us. “
Martin said they didn’t specifically target Plano for their store, but when they stumbled upon the open space on 15th Street, they jumped at the chance.
“We’re really happy to have ended up here,” said Martin. “It was the perfect place to be. “
McCall said her interior design background helped her imagine the boutique’s trendy European-style interior.
The couple said they noticed some cafes lacked quality food and wanted to make sure that was not the case at XO Coffee Company.
“We thought, what if we made coffee but kinda like 50-50 with the food,” Martin said. “Let’s puke this really good breakfast, lunch and brunch with really good coffee.”
The menu offers a variety of omelets, sandwiches and tacos as well as an assortment of other traditional options for breakfast and lunch. The couple said the Nutella-stuffed French toast is the most popular item.
In May, the shop began serving a late-night menu with wine, beer and tapas inspired by the Spanish cafes McCall frequented while attending the University of Barcelona. Tapas, or small Spanish plates, are accompanied by homemade sangria on Friday and Saturday evenings.
The couple said they hope to continue providing caffeine and comfort foods to residents and visitors to Plano.
“We both already had kids when we first met, so we didn’t want any more kids,” Martin said. “So it’s a bit like our child. It’s something we could build together.
XO Coffee Company
1023 E. 15th St., Plano
972-212-4318
www.xocoffeeco.com
Hours: Tue-Sun 8 am-3pm, Fri-Sat 5 pm-9pm, closed Mon.