Luis Rodriguez

Owner of the Station

2533 16th Ave S, 453-4892

So you're the owner of the Station. According to reviews on the internet, your Mexican mocha should be paraded around in a convertible with some sort of sash draped over it. How do you make such sash-worthy mochas?

We grind Ibarra chocolate and dissolve it in warm milk to make our mochas extra smooth. We also add extra cinnamon and nutmeg.

You're one of the sponsors of the local music festival Beacon Rocks. Who's your favorite local act right now?

You know Tad? He comes in here all the time. Also, the Blue Scholars are good friends of mine. Two of our baristas are DJs. During next year's festival, we're going to close off the block and have live music in front of the cafe.

Awesome! My two favorite types of baristas are the chatty ones and the silent, super-efficient ones who make me feel like I'm having coffee on a spaceship in the future. Which would you say is more your style?

Definitely no quiet ones here—we're loud and fun. We want people to come in here once and feel like they've been here 20 times. I don't want it to feel like a library.

Actually, your building bears a striking resemblance to an old west saloon. Is the risk of blacked-out cowboys smashing chairs on each other the reason you're applying for a license to serve beer and wine but not liquor?

I had this idea: Let's have coffee in the morning, and wine and desserts at night. Hopefully, no angry cowboys will come in and have too many glasses of wine.

I notice you have also outfitted your cafe with a western-style dog hitching post. Are you a dog lover or just pro–hitching post?

I'm definitely a dog lover. My brother has a dog named Max, and I love him. Max is like my other nephew. I want everyone in the neighborhood to bring their dogs here.