A California transplant has landed in Dallas-Fort Worth. San Diego-founded Pappalecco made its Texas debut last month bringing authentic Italian cafe culture to Plano with an all-day hang designed for lingering.
Located on the ground floor of the Morado Plano apartments at 1009 14th Street, Pappalecco comes to Texas via husband-and-wife franchisees Jolly Chen and Chi Yan. The opening marks the brand’s first expansion outside of San Diego—and the couple’s first franchise venture—a move sparked by an unexpected source: Facebook.
Chen, a Chinese native, and Yan, who was born in Macau, moved to the U.S. in their early childhood. The two grew up in New York City before moving to Texas in 2016 and settling in Allen. In the summer of 2024, Chen was scrolling the “Moms of Allen, TX” Facebook group when a post caught her attention.
“One lady said, ‘I’ve been in corporate America for over 20 years. I’m sick and tired of corporate America and want to do something different, but I don’t know what,’” Chen recalls…