An innovative local java enthusiast is preparing to breathe fresh life into the DFW’s next coffee break. Tony Daussat is turning his successful small-batch coffee roasting business into Northlake’s new favorite cafe; Function Coffee Co. will be opening its first brick-and-mortar in the area next year, reports Community Impact.
Function Coffee Co. will be hanging its shingle at 101 Plaza Place, Suite 150 in the Northlake Commons shopping center. Owner Daussat explains to What Now Dallas that while this location was not the first opportunity he had to launch a brick-and-mortar, it was the one that aligned with both his personal and professional vision. He states: “As fate would have it, we had the chance to take over a shop in Grapevine this summer, where we used to live. But after moving to Pecan Square in 2024, we knew this was where we wanted to plant roots. We love this community and want both our family and our businesses—my wife is also a local Realtor—to grow here. We see the same kind of growth in Northlake that we watched unfold in Grapevine and Southlake when we were younger, and we want to be part of it.”
For Daussat, the Northlake storefront represents the fruition of a longheld ambition. “I’ve been dreaming about opening a coffee shop for ages.” he says. “In a former life, I was an actor and in between gigs I was a barista in NYC and LA. Even as I transitioned into experience and digital design for a career, I never stopped dusting off my old coffee shop business plans—at least once a year, every year, for the past 12 years.”
As any entrepreneur can attest, a supportive partner can make all the difference when pursuing a new project, and Daussat is fortunate to have one who embraced his dream. He states: “At the end of last year, my wife suggested I start by roasting coffee and building a brand. After a few markets of just selling beans, I added drinks, and she was quick to remind me, “Once you start serving drinks, you’ll want a shop.” She was right. Roasting and pop ups have been incredible, but the vision was always a brick-and-mortar coffee shop.”
Locals were very receptive to Function Coffee Co., and the public response to the coffee helped bolster Daussat’s confidence in opening a physical cafe. “What I didn’t anticipate was the outpouring of support from the community,” he says. “Six months ago, I never would have believed there’d be a line for our coffee tent at the Hilltop Farmer’s Market on Sundays. After the first market where we completely sold out of cold brew lattes, we looked at each other and said, ‘Okay, it’s time for a shop.’”
Daussat explains that Function Coffee Co. will be filling a major gap in the local dining community. “People here have been craving craft coffee and a true ‘third place.’ That’s what we’re building. We’ll be the only coffee shop in Northlake proper, north of 114—and the only one in the area roasting our beans in-house.”
Northlake coffee fans will need to practice a little patience in anticipation of Function Coffee Co.’s opening; Daussat is aiming for a spring of 2026 debut. Once opened, the cafe will serve “specialty coffee roasted in house, along with light food.”
Function Coffee Co. represents something truly beautiful for both Northlake and Daussat; for the town it will inhabit, the cafe will help create community and warmth and for Daussat, it will be the realization of a dream. He sums it up beautifully, saying “For years, fear had me closing the books on this dream, but together we’ve decided to finally take the leap. I couldn’t ask for a better business partner than my wife—or a better community to serve than this one.”
