New MOTW Coffee and Pastries opens in Plano to bring people together

A new coffee shop with a big dream is opening in Plano. Called MOTW Coffee and Pastries, it'll open in east Plano at 4013 14th St. #407, in a shopping center anchored by a Kroger, with a goal to not only serve good coffee, but also bring people together.

They'll host a grand opening on Saturday, January 11 with lattes for $3.

MOTW was founded a decade ago in Indiana by then-college student Sajjad Shad, who started by creating an Instagram page @muslimsoftheworld to help change people’s perceptions about Muslims.

"I wanted to portray versions of Muslims that people had never seen before through stories that resonated with people beyond their faith and culture, just as human beings," Sajjad says.

Muslims of the World became a brand, with a book published in 2018 called Muslims of the World: Portraits and Stories of Hope, Survival, Loss, and Love, as well as a charity organization dedicated to humanitarian causes in the community.

“We are clearing up stereotypes," Sajjad says. "We wanted to do it in a global and physical location, and that’s how the coffee shop idea started."

They opened three locations in Indiana, and a fourth in Lombard, Illinois, then created a franchise for expansion. MOTW Coffee and Pastries now has multiple locations in Indiana, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

Fahad and Sofie Danish are the franchisees behind this first MOTW Coffee and Pastries in Texas, which will be the largest shop of the franchise. They've given the space a warm makeover with an expansive mural on the wall of a desert scene, plus brown leatherette couches and black velour chairs.

"We chose MOTW because it looks to build bridges of understanding at a polarizing time," they say. “We're here in the community, and hope people will have a coffee with us and create their own memories, experiences, and perceptions."

For coffee, they work with a roaster in Indiana to serve beans from Ethiopia and South America, both single origin and blends. The menu includes traditional coffee and espresso drinks plus lattes in unique and irresistible flavors such as Biscoff, Date Cardamon, Rosemary Honey, English Toffee, and Vanilla Coconut.

They offer traditional chai, as well as Yemeni chai, using a family recipe from Sajjad’s wife Fatimah. They also serve refreshers with a variety of flavors such as jasmine Peach, Coconut Hibiscus and Green Strawberry Mango.

Their food menu is all-Halal and includes empanadas, chicken pot pie, and samosas. For sweets, they serve muffins, coffee crumb pound cake, baklava, and cookies. For consistency, they partner with small businesses that ship items to the different locations.

"We try to find great vendors that embrace our values of authenticity and good leadership. It’s been awesome to see how we have helped their businesses as well," Sajjad says. “We really have built a great community. We are letting people work together with the same understanding of empathy toward other people, and we try to help out."

One of their shops in Indiana raised money to get a homeless person off the street, with an apartment, a bicycle, and clothes to get him back on his feet.

"We always make sure we put that as one of our top priorities — when your brand is more than coffee, you’ll find that people will support you more," Sajjad says.