ENCINITAS — Two years ago, when Leucadia’s beloved A Little Moore Café faced closure to make way for a new cannabis dispensary, a pair of local childhood friends bought the restaurant and preserved a cherished piece of their past.
Lifelong Leucadians Deon Dickey and Andy Vasquez recently sat down with The Coast News to share their journey of reopening a beloved community staple once thought to be a thing of the past.
“Everything’s changing so much around here,” said Dickey, who grew up in the neighborhood and attended Paul Ecke Elementary, where he met Vasquez. “Back in high school, we’d go hang out at Kealani’s and get a scoop of rice and some chicken teriyaki for like five bucks, go get a slice of pizza at Manhattan [Giant Pizza], and now neither of those two places are around anymore.”
In the spirit of reviving a piece of their childhood, and after eight months of pop-ups at the Leucadian Bar and searching for a new permanent home, the homegrown locals reopened the beloved breakfast cafe roughly one week ago in the heart of Leucadia.
“The main desire stemmed from our childhood, eating there as kids and whatnot, and saving something that’s been a part of our community for over 50 years,” Dickey said. “We just wanted to do something for the community and save a part of our hometown.”
To further honor the legacy of A Little Moore Café, Dickey and Vasquez said the Han family, Chang and Mison Han, the original owners, still visit daily to greet customers and stay connected to the new space.
“(Chang) Han still comes around and his wife comes on the weekends. They just come about an hour a day, drink some coffee, hang out, have some food and hang out with us,” said Vasquez. “It’s been nothing but positive.”
On top of the restaurant, Dickey and Vasquez spoke about the challenges of balancing their commitments to the cafe with other responsibilities in their lives. Dickey, a seasonal wildland firefighter with Cal Fire, also raises his family in Temecula.
Vasquez works as a realtor with Coldwell Banker and cuts hair at Leucadia Barbershop, now located in the same building as the cafe.
“Everything about this process was tough,” Vasquez said, referring to everything from securing investors to working multiple jobs to finding the right location for the cafe. “Mostly it just came with being the younger guys in this industry and people just not taking us seriously. It was not given to us, it was hard work, but it made it that much more worth it.”
Dickey said securing their new location at the newly-built Shatto Building came with good luck and timing. The space — next to Leucadia Barbershop and Peace Pies in a new building owned by Jim Shatto of Shatto & Sons T-Shirts — was originally going to be an oyster bar under The Leucadia Company, a local restaurant group that owns Valentina and Hamburger Hut.
“But it fell through with them, and they pretty much gave us their lease on this place,” Dickey said. “Then we pretty much built this place out for like a year. It took longer than expected, but [we] finally got open.”
The new owners bring years of service industry experience, with Dickey having worked his way up from dishwasher to bartender over a 12-year career and Vasquez coming from a background in customer service in his capacity as both a barber and realtor. Despite their roles as owners, the business owners said they view themselves as part of a team and emphasize the importance of creating a positive work environment.
“I still consider myself as part of the staff,” Dickey said. “I feel like everyone I work with, or everyone I’ve hired on, I’ve worked with around other places, nothing in my eyes, nothing’s changed. We’re just all still one team.”
Vasquez added that A Little Moore staff comprises local Leucadians and friends he’s known for years.
“It’s cool because we’re from here, it’s cool to own something right next to the barber shop,” Vasquez said, referring to the Leucadia Barbershop, owned by a childhood friend. “So to all have a building right near Leucadia [Boulevard] where we grew up, that’s huge to us.”
The cafe’s reopening has been met with warm reception from locals, who appreciate the owners’ commitment to keeping the cafe’s nostalgic, old-school diner vibe. Dickey said the menu has stayed true to its roots, featuring classic items like Han’s teriyaki and eggs and traditional American diner staples.
“The feedback we’ve gotten, you know, everyone’s been super happy,” Dickey said. “People were stoked, the community understands and knows that we’re also locals ourselves, and we’re doing this to try and keep a tradition alive here in Encinitas.”
For both Dickey and Vasquez, reopening the cafe is personal. As a third-generation Leucadian, he grew up eating at A Little Moore Café and needed to protect a part of the community’s history amid the area’s rapid changes.
“When you walk down the street, sometimes you feel like a tourist in your own city,” Vasquez said. “That’s why we did this — to try to reverse that feeling.”
A Little Moore Café is now located at 698 Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas. The restaurant is located right next to Leucadia Barbershop.
