A Remarkable Culinary Journey: Daniella Senior’s Early Beginnings
Daniella Senior’s story is one of passion, perseverance, and an unwavering dedication to the culinary arts. From a young age, she embraced entrepreneurship by starting a home-based catering business in the Dominican Republic at just 13 years old. With limited resources and borrowed seed money from her mother, Daniella crafted an authentic grassroots marketing campaign by designing her own logo, brochures, and stickers that showcased her business. Her dessert catering quickly gained momentum after she personally approached potential customers with her offerings. This early experience not only built her business acumen but also taught Daniella the importance of being ready when opportunity knocks. Her catering operation grew so rapidly that she employed six people while still in her early teens, an impressive feat that surprised even her own family.
After completing high school, Daniella made a pivotal move to the United States to attend culinary school at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. She pursued studies not only in culinary arts but also earned a bachelor's degree in hospitality management. This combination set a firm foundation for understanding all facets of the food and beverage industry. Her career has been diverse, spanning every role within restaurants, including front-of-house positions, kitchen work, and specialized knowledge in beverages, wine, and spirits. These formative years shaped her ability to connect deeply with her teams and fostered a leadership style grounded in empathy and firsthand experience.
Bringing Caribbean Culture to DC: The Birth of Colada Shop
The Colada Shop is a unique reflection of Daniella’s heritage and the rich tapestry of Caribbean culture she embraces. While Daniella is Dominican, her concept is rooted in Cuban café culture. The idea matured during her numerous consulting trips to Miami, where she was charmed by the vibrant Cuban flavors, strong coffee, and guava pastries. These signature tastes inspired her deeply, serving as the heartfelt basis for what would become the Colada Shop. The original intention was to open a speakeasy bar named Lara, inspired by Cuban cocktail heritage from the Prohibition Era, but the discovery of a spacious location along 14th Street in Washington DC spurred a new vision. Instead of limiting the brand to a bar, Colada Shop evolved into an all-day Cuban café that offers strong coffee drinks, Cuban sandwiches, empanadas, and pastries complemented by an array of cocktails.
Colada Shop’s success was immediate, with lines stretching for blocks on opening day. This overwhelming response was not just luck but validation that many were craving authentic Caribbean flavors infused with a modern, fun, and welcoming atmosphere. Daniella’s own family history intertwines with Cuban heritage through her grandmother’s lineage, making Colada Shop also a personal journey of bringing Cuban and Dominican cultures together. The shared Spanish colonial history and similar ingredients used in both cuisines create a rich foundation for the menu and ambiance, giving guests a seamless Caribbean experience in the heart of DC.
Mastering the "All Day Affair": Crafting an Evolving Customer Experience
One of Daniella Senior’s most innovative concepts is what she calls the “all day affair.” Unlike many establishments that focus solely on morning coffee or evening drinks, Colada Shop is designed to be a vibrant destination from early morning through late evening, serving breakfast, lunch, cocktails, and dinner across multiple meal periods. The shop opens at 7:30 a.m. and closes at 10:00 p.m. on weekdays, with extended hours on weekends, positioning itself as a dynamic space that adapts to various customer needs throughout the day.
Daniella highlights the importance of understanding how to maintain engagement all day and create a space that feels natural for customers to move through these different periods. She purposely designed the ambiance with lighting, music, and atmosphere changes that evolve from day to evening. Most notably, the espresso machines at Colada Shop resemble sleek beer taps, a choice meant to avoid the psychological association of a traditional bulky espresso machine signaling only a daytime coffee shop. This intentional design allows the shop to transition to a bar-like setting in the evening while still expressing its core identity.
The concept also emphasizes that the menu needs to shine independently during every meal period. Daniella sees five distinct meal periods throughout the day, each catering to different customer behaviors and preferences. She warns against the “forced” approach many establishments take, especially those in locations like airports where breakfast options feel secondary or uninspired. Instead, Colada Shop strives to offer high-quality, distinct offerings at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, along with cocktails that complement the food and Caribbean ethos. This commitment to excellence at every stage of the day helps create the feeling of a continual mini-vacation for its patrons.
Leadership Lessons Rooted in Culinary Discipline
Daniella’s culinary education instilled in her a military-like discipline that greatly influences her leadership style today. The French brigade system she trained under emphasized respect, hierarchy, and earning one’s place through diligence and hard work. These values remain deeply ingrained, translating into a leadership philosophy that prioritizes understanding every level of operation within her business.
As CEO of Colada Shop, Daniella still regularly jumps in to assist with tasks on the line, during openings, or running the expo, demonstrating solidarity and respect to her staff. This hands-on approach builds trust within her team and shows that she only asks of them what she herself can do. The ability to relate to baristas, chefs, dishwashers, and bartenders on a practical level leads to stronger communication and more meaningful collaboration across the company. Daniella credits this ethos as crucial to building a successful operation and a motivated workforce.
Strategic Expansion: Choosing Markets That Align With the Brand
Looking ahead, Colada Shop is poised for strategic growth with seven locations currently serving the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. Daniella admits that while she keeps an open mind about future expansion, she avoids markets that feel saturated or less aligned with the brand’s vibe. For example, she is hesitant about expanding into Miami, despite its large Cuban population, due to the intense saturation of similar concepts there.
Instead, Daniella is exploring other southern markets such as Tennessee and Texas, placing great importance on warmer climates that enhance the vibrant and joyful energy Colada Shop represents. These places offer a lifestyle and atmosphere where the concept’s Caribbean essence can thrive year-round. She also acknowledges that the business may look quite different in five years, making flexibility and openness to change essential qualities in approaching future growth.
Adapting Through Experimentation and Careful Listening
The restaurant industry is fast-paced and ever-changing, and Daniella emphasizes the necessity of constant innovation to stay relevant and successful. Colada Shop experiments regularly with menu items and operational strategies, sometimes experiencing surprising successes and other times clear failures. Daniella shares an example where removing the large coffee size in an effort to improve consistency actually led to a sales decrease, prompting a quick reversal that restored the original offering.
She attributes survival and growth in hospitality to the willingness to pivot quickly and listen carefully to customer feedback. Daniella candidly discusses the common stubbornness among chefs and hospitality professionals who become protective of their ideas but might overlook what customers truly want. Adapting to local neighborhood preferences and recognizing that each store behaves differently, even within the same brand, has been crucial for Colada Shop’s ability to maintain its authenticity while evolving responsibly. This sensitivity to market needs and humility to accept failure as part of growth contribute to the brand’s ongoing success.
Creating a Home Away From Home: What Customers Truly Value
Above all, Daniella Senior aims to cultivate an environment where guests don’t just come for food and drink but for an experience. Feedback often highlights how customers feel “like they are on vacation” when they visit Colada Shop, a sentiment Daniella finds deeply rewarding. It epitomizes her goal of offering a cheerful escape amid busy city life, a place that feels like an extension of home where people can spend time comfortably at any point in their day.
This welcoming and vibrant atmosphere is supported by a carefully crafted balance of Caribbean flavors, and a thoughtful approach to ambiance and service that invites guests to linger throughout the day. Whether enjoying a morning cafecito, a midday sandwich, or a crafted cocktail during happy hour, patrons consistently find something special and memorable in each visit. Without labeling it as a “third space,” Daniella successfully creates a multifaceted venue that meets diverse social and lifestyle needs.
Embracing a Vibrant Future with Caribbean Soul
Daniella Senior’s journey from a young Dominican caterer to a CEO leading a growing Caribbean-inspired brand speaks to the passion, resilience, and creativity she pours into every facet of Colada Shop. Her ability to fuse cultural heritage with modern hospitality concepts creates a vibrant and unique space that resonates with today’s dynamic consumers. By staying true to her roots, embracing continuous learning, applying leadership rooted in hands-on experience, and thoughtfully curating expansion plans, Daniella sets an inspiring example in the food and beverage industry.
Colada Shop continues to grow in the Washington DC area and explores new markets, bringing a slice of the Caribbean to communities hungry for authentic flavors and welcoming ambiances. Daniella’s story encourages restaurateurs and food enthusiasts alike to honor their heritage while adapting to the evolving demands of the market. For anyone seeking a place that offers both a culinary journey and a feel-good retreat, Colada Shop stands out as an extraordinary destination fueled by one woman’s remarkable dedication.
