Casablanca Coffee in downtown Fort Worth
Coffee and chauffeuring may seem like an unusual pairing, but for a Fort Worth business owner, the two have a lot in common.
Driss Siyas, owner of Casablanca Coffee and Casablanca Luxury Drive, believes there is a similarity between his two businesses. Siya says that both businesses allow him to do something he loves — be around people.
“I grew up with a lot of people overseas," Siya says. “I just love to be around people, and I also love what I am doing and bringing smiles to people every day.”
Casablanca Coffee, located on West Eighth Street in downtown Fort Worth, was forced to close late last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The hole-in-the-wall café has been a downtown staple for many years, known not only for serving coffee but also for its unique atmosphere and diverse breakfast and lunch menus.
Siyas opened Casablanca Coffee in 2013 and started Casablanca Luxury Drive, a chauffeuring business, in 2019.
“Since I am working with downtown clients, mostly business clients, they always need rides to the airport or anywhere around DFW,” Siyas says. “That why I came up with the idea to drive them. And I love it.”
Siyas' normal routine changed just as everyone else's last March when the COVID-19 pandemic began, forcing him to temporarily close Casablanca Coffee.
“COVID really hurt business,” Siyas says. “Both coffee and driving.”
Although Casablanca Coffee remains closed, Casablanca Luxury Drive is back in business.
Siyas says he is hoping to reopen Casablanca Coffee in September.
“I really love people — they treat me like family. I feel home in downtown," Siyas says. “Hopefully, things will change for the better, but we all have to stay positive."
