{"id":178685,"date":"2026-02-15T04:11:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T04:11:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/178685\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T04:11:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T04:11:15","slug":"a-barista-channels-personal-tragedy-to-open-reinnes-place-coffee-shop-dedicated-to-past-loves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/178685\/","title":{"rendered":"A barista channels personal tragedy to open Reinne’s Place coffee shop, dedicated to past loves"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In an art gallery in Long Beach, a makeshift coffee shop roars in the corner. Baristas call out orders over the hum of chatter. Magnetic mahjong tiles stick to the espresso maker. On the walls hang \u201cReinne Checks\u201d where customers are invited to write notes to loved ones who have passed, past selves and even exes from years ago \u2014 grief and its many phantoms.<\/p>\n

A joke that the coffee shop owner, Tommy Le, repeats often: \u201cCoffee baristas are therapists<\/a> who serve people coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A framed photo of Lim in the coffee shop opened by Le, who wanted to create a therapeutic space for customers.<\/p>\n

(Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Le turned his own personal tragedy and community-minded spirit into a place where customers can channel love and loss. Occasionally, customers burst into tears. Le \u2014 who founded the coffee shop in memory of his late girlfriend, Reinne Lim, in 2025 \u2014 welcomes it, even encourages it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least once a day, someone comes up to me and starts crying. The fact that two strangers at one point, within 30 seconds, can feel that protection is beautiful to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Le first began dating Lim, he noticed she always gave spare change to unhoused people on the street. Why? Le remembers asking his girlfriend, whom he met while working as a barista. Raised by Vietnamese immigrant parents, Le was taught to be wary of strangers \u2014 generosity was ripe for exploitation. Lim dismissed that cynicism. \u201cShe didn\u2019t judge people like that,\u201d Le said. She lived openly, warmly, without suspicion.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Share via Close extra sharing options <\/p>\n

The couple planned to move to New York City together, each pursuing a creative path. Instead, in October 2022, Lim was killed by a drunk driver who struck their car head-on.<\/p>\n

Le survived but was left in critical condition, undergoing multiple surgeries and months of intensive physical therapy. At 22 years old, a college dropout, he found himself grieving without a sense of direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was so much to process,\u201d he said. \u201cNot only losing a partner, but I think a lot of times, people don\u2019t realize that I was driving.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

At Reinne\u2019s Place, customers are encouraged to write \u201cReinne Checks,\u201d messages to those they hold in memory.<\/p>\n

(Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\"Reinne's <\/p>\n

Reinne\u2019s Place owner Le holds one of his specialty drinks, \u201cMot, hai, ba \u2026 yo!\u201d (the Vietnamese phrase for \u201ccheers,\u201d or \u201cone, two, three, let\u2019s go!\u201d) and shows his tattoos honoring his girlfriend.<\/p>\n

(Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

While in the ICU, Le received \u201ca couple hundred visitors.\u201d Friends, family members, coworkers and even coffee shop regulars from his barista days came to offer support.<\/p>\n

Le\u2019s mother was stunned. \u201cWho are all these people?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was trying to tell my traditional Vietnamese mom that this is what I\u2019ve been doing,\u201d Le said. \u201cIt may look like I\u2019m a college dropout working as a barista \u2014 but at that moment, it was a testament to all the years I put into being a barista. It was the first time in a long time that my mom understood me.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the wake of the tragedy, at age 25, Le created Reinne\u2019s Place to honor the memory of his late partner.<\/p>\n

Many of Reinne\u2019s Place\u2019s investors and business partners were regulars whom Le served as a barista. \u201cThey all saw how badly I wanted it,\u201d Le said. \u201cThe beautiful thing about this shop is that it\u2019s all backed by people I\u2019ve served over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the summer of 2025, an opportunity to open Reinne\u2019s Place presented itself. Le secured a lease with donor assistance. \u201cOrganically, things just started falling in place,\u201d he explains. \u201cWeirdly, old customers were reaching back out to me. When I found the spot, I was like: You know what? I have to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Julianne <\/p>\n

Customer Julianne Nieh, of Vancouver, holds a Reinne\u2019s Spanner drink with matcha and cream.<\/p>\n

(Allen J. Schaben\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

An Instagram post<\/a> that Le made memorializing his girlfriend and introducing Reinne\u2019s Place went viral, prompting an outcry of support on social media. Le began receiving hundreds of DMs from people out of state and internationally, offering him encouragement. \u201cI get so many interactions every day, I had to turn off the notifications,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The drinks served at Reinne\u2019s Place have a unique Asian influence. Le is Vietnamese, and Lim was Filipino. The resulting menu infuses Asian flavors<\/a> into coffee drinks. Ingredients include ube, matcha and banana fermented with jackfruit. \u201cWe have a whole plethora of things that we can explore within my culture \u2014 things I grew up loving, things that Reinne\u2019s parents tell me about,\u201d Le said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a lot about honoring Reinne\u2019s culture. … <\/p>\n

\u201cMy number one goal was to encourage people to try new things and feel connected to these flavors.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Le, the coffee shop serves as a community space where customers feel free to grieve and share their experiences with loss. \u201cWhen you come here, I want you to slow down. Take it in and feel what I\u2019m trying to deliver \u2014 a sense of connection.\u201d<\/p>\n

The convivial atmosphere of the coffee shop can be attributed to Le, who romanticizes his time as a barista. He\u2019s watched lives unfold from behind the bar. \u201cThat\u2019s my favorite part \u2014 seeing families grow up, seeing kids and babies grow up. Seeing two regulars start talking, and then they get married,\u201d said Le. \u201cIt\u2019s a really beautiful thing when you start appreciating those little subtleties.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Customers <\/p>\n

Le says as a barista he has watched lives unfold. \u201cThat\u2019s my favorite part \u2014 seeing families grow up, seeing kids and babies grow up. Seeing two regulars start talking, and then they get married.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Le enlists the baristas at Reinne\u2019s Place as part of his broader community-building vision. \u201cComing over to someone\u2019s house, an Asian parent always takes care of you,\u201d Le said, who grew up in Southern California. He hopes to extend that tradition of hospitality to his coffee shop. \u201cWhen you make a visit to a coffee shop, it makes or breaks your day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Le has also introduced the \u201cReinne-y Day Fund,\u201d where a portion of every drink sale is donated to a cause once a month. It\u2019s what Reinne would have wanted, Le said. \u201cEvery single public person she saw, she always gave them something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reinne\u2019s Place is located at Open Gallery, 3902 E. 4th St., Long Beach. A new permanent cafe is slated to open in spring.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The future home of Reinne\u2019s Place in Long Beach.<\/p>\n

(Allen J. Schaben\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n