Backhaus started in 2016 out of Anne Moser’s home kitchen, and she transitioned into a commercial kitchen within a few months. She opened her own brick-and-mortar café in San Mateo in June 2019, and it soon became both a local staple and destination location. Eager customers wait in a line out the door for a chance to savor their freshly baked breads and to-die-for pastries. And Backhaus takes their coffee program as seriously as their croissants — guests will enjoy well-made lattes prepared on a custom La Marzocco Strada espresso machine and served in beautiful custom-made ceramics. Every detail has been carefully thought out in this gorgeous space. But get there early! Backhaus often sells out of their beloved bread before close. We recently caught up with Anne to get her take on owning a small business.
What is unique about Backhaus?
To us Backhaus is not just the building we work in or the breads and pastries we bake, it is also very much about how we make our customers and our team members feel. From the very beginning on, there was very strong sense of community support and ownership, which we are incredibly grateful for. Our goal is to continue to deepen our impact on our local community and to redefine what a neighborhood bakery can be. We try to put a lot of focus on being in the moment and slowing down, creating moments of genuine connection with customers and providing a space for people to get together and enjoy each other’s company. At the same time, we work hard to create a supportive, collaborative work environment for our team.
Why did you decide to open a cafe?
A café felt like a natural extension of the bakery business and our desire to create a strong relationship with our community. It was a great opportunity to create an environment for people to enjoy the products we were already making and essentially curating it into an experience. Both bread and coffee have this inherent magic quality of bringing people together and we are just so excited to offer both to our customers.
What crave-worthy drink or food menu item is your shop known for?
We are so lucky to have a wonderful team of talented bakers, so we constantly have new favorites rotating onto the menu, but overall I would say one of the all-time most popular items is probably our Pistachio Raspberry Croissant. We also make our adorable “Little Dudes”, which are bite-sized chocolate croissants with a pretzeled exterior and a few flakes of Maldon salt.
What is your favorite part of owning your own business?
Both my favorite and least favorite part is probably that you are constantly facing new challenges. There is always something new to learn. But what makes it all worth it is the people I have by my side to help me figure it all out.
Why did you choose Ritual as your roasting partner?
Our partnership with Ritual was a really easy decision. Beyond being local, Ritual was also female-owned and operated, cares deeply about the community they serve, and is incredibly invested in the success and future success of their employees and coffee farmers.
What’s your coffee drink of choice?
I will usually default to an oat milk latte, but if I really want to sit down, take a moment just for myself, and focus on enjoying my coffee I go for a Cortado/Gibraltar, also usually with oat milk.
Backhaus is located at 32 3rd Avenue, San Mateo CA with another location opening soon in Burlingame! They are open Tuesday–Sunday, 7:30am–4:00pm.
