Linda with a few Sip & Savors baristas.
From left to right- Ky, Tricia, Linda, and Madeline.
Sip & Savor is located on 106 W Wilshire Ave.
Open 7am – 7pm Monday through Saturday and 8am – 6pm Sunday
When passing by W Wilshire Ave, you will be sure to see a busy coffee shop with people walking in and out with uniquely designed drinks in hand.
While today Sip & Savor serves as a coffee shop perfect for getting drinks and hanging out with friends, it originally started with Linda Mun’s passion for coffee creation. At the time, she had her hands full with two sons, yet she had the idea of a coffee shop brewing in her mind.
Once both her kids were old enough to attend school, Linda decided to commit to making her dreams of having a coffee shop a reality.
“I wanted to create a place where someone can relax and reboot; a coffee shop is perfect for that,” she said.
It is clear when walking into Sip & Savor that Linda’s vision was accomplished. You are greeted with warm colors, peaceful music, and the chatter of people who are enjoying the shop’s coffee and matcha.
Aside from the welcoming environment, Sip & Savor also stands out among coffee shops because of its distinctly crafted drinks with unique flavors and designs. A favorite among customers is the Tiramisu Latte, which comes with a creamy tiramisu foam and a ladyfinger biscuit nestled in the drink.
When creating the drink, Linda tried multiple different ratios and ingredients to get the latte to taste like a tiramisu cake. Her main ingredient for this taste was mascarpone cheese, which is used to make tiramisu cake.
“We do not want to use fake stuff to mimic a tiramisu taste, and I think the main component of a tiramisu cake is the cheese and not just the heavy cream and flavoring,” she said.
She emphasized that special coffee options allow Sip & Savor to attract customers as the demand for coffee places in Fullerton grows.
“We needed something that made us stand out from others. I think it is important to have something signature on the menu that no other coffee shops can mimic,” she said.
The shop is also known for its matcha drinks, such as their Strawberry Matcha Latte. While Sip & Savor has always offered matcha, Linda notes that she has seen a stark increase in customers’ interest in the drink.
“In the past year and a half or two, the matcha popularity has increased tremendously! Sometimes to a point where it’s like, is this a matcha specialty store or coffee specialty store?” she laughs.
With this sudden increase in matcha, she has made sure her business does not neglect the growth in the drink’s popularity, and aims to ensure customers are satisfied.
“I wanted to make sure we serve the highest quality matchas and not something cheap, so we have tested so many different matchas,” she said, “we have gone through so many trials and errors with vendors and flavor creations.”
However, Linda shared that small businesses also must be aware of what prices customers are willing to pay, especially since a large portion of her customer base is college students and young people with only so much to spend. Thus, she often has to consider which quality ingredients will be worth buying.
“Something that can be sold for eight or nine dollars in Los Angeles can not be charged at the same price here,” she said. “Demographically we are close to college campuses. So I don’t think I can be charging those prices even if the business would make greater profit. I have to think about the pockets of college students as well.”
This focus on unique flavors has also resulted in Sip & Savor frequently getting social media attention. When looking at Sip & Savor’s online presence, the business frequently posts eye-catching images and videos displaying the beverage options.
Linda shared a story from when Sip & Savor first opened in 2023, when she was trying to promote the business; however, after a post from an online creator gained popularity, she noticed Sip & Savor’s customer base grew.
“Social media is a good marketing tactic and a good way to get people excited about your business,” she said.
Despite this, Linda is weary of following social media’s ever-changing trends and strives to have her business have high-quality drinks regardless of online attention. As a result of Sip & Savor’s commitment to quality, the business has kept its new audience from social media coming back for more.
“Sip & Savor’s popularity has to do with consistency in our drinks and not going along with the trends,” she said.
Although the shop is constantly bustling with people, there are many stressful aspects that come with running an independent coffee shop that customers do not see.
Linda described having to create a network of other specialty coffee shop owners in the area that she can reach out to when things break down or vice versa.
“We had the espresso machine break down on us, and it took forever getting the parts,” she said. “I was very fortunate enough to have a friend of mine who owns a coffee shop loan us one of their espresso machines. But if I had not known anyone, I do not know how I could have hopped over that hurdle.”
Now with almost three years as a business owner, Linda feels better equipped to handle situations where machines break down or an emergency occurs.
“If there is nothing that can be done at the moment, then we have to be honest with the customers,” she said. “I am very grateful because this community has been nothing but generous and patient; we have not had too many customers who have given us difficult situations.”
Looking ahead, Linda plans to expand Sip & Savor to another location in the upcoming years. However, her goal is to ensure her business continues to offer its quality coffee and matcha options even in a new location. She also continues to experiment with different recipes and create new drinks, testing new drinks with customers and baristas.
“If I am not 100% satisfied with the taste, I will not put it out. I have to have the confidence to know that our customers will enjoy it,” she said. “There is no way I could satisfy everyone’s taste buds, but if I made 90% of customers happy, I succeeded.”
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