By Alexandra Brewer | Arts & Life Writer
Cha Community’s second store near Baylor’s campus recently introduced food to its menu, expanding beyond drinks for the first time since its opening.
Located at 1205 S Eighth St., the shop has been a popular stop for boba and coffee. While food is new to this location, co-owner Devin Li said adding food had always been part of the plan, but limitations with the space delayed the expansion.
“That was something we always wanted to do,” Li said. “But at the time, we were kind of limited. Our landlord is Campus Realtors; we were limited by what we could do with this space.”
The Eighth Street location also faced challenges early on due to how long it took to open. According to Li, the delay created financial pressure on the business and made sustainability a priority moving forward.
“We decided to bring the food,” Li said. “That was an external push for us to do it, obviously, to bring extra income so we can sustain the place.”
Li said the expanded menu also helps address limited food options near campus outside of Baylor’s dining halls.
“Before students would come down here, it was kind of a limited menu,” Li said. “I would say over half of our menu I was able to reproduce things [from other locations].”
The food officially launched at the Eighth Street location during the first week of the spring semester. Li said the shop remained closed over winter break while most students were off campus, making the start of the semester the best time to introduce the changes.
When deciding which items to add, Li said the team had to work within health regulations and the physical constraints of the space.
“We’re kind of trying to stick to the health regulations, some things that we could do there, that we can make without a vent hood,” Li said.
He explained that most of the food preparation takes place at another location before being brought to the Eighth Street shop.
The menu includes items such as rice boxes, curry, dumplings, chicken broth and steamed buns, giving customers a variety of options to pair with their drinks.
Baylor students said the new menu has given them even more reasons to stop by.
“They’ve always been super welcoming and nice and had very good customer service,” Portland, Ore. senior Grace Hansen said. “I’d visit more often now that they’ve added a food menu.”
Other students like that Cha Community provides authentic boba and Asian cuisine.
“We don’t have a lot of boba places in Waco,” Woodway sophomore Dylan McEachern said. “I like that it’s different and provides something unique.”
Cha Community’s Eighth Street location opened in early May 2025. Food is now served at both the Eighth Street and downtown locations, allowing customers at either spot to order from the expanded menu.
