The Salvador’s concept was born in 2003. Kris Ariel and Colin Flahive worked out many of the company’s ideas and initial recipes while living in Dali, a town approximately 300 kilometers to the west of Kunming. The Salvador’s model included premium coffee, homemade natural ice cream, fresh bagels, a funky décor, a cozy atmosphere, and other characteristics still evident in the Kunming location. Kris came up with the name Salvador’s in a clever dual play on words as Salvador Dali was one of his artistic inspirations and both Kris and Colin were at the time living in Dali, it seemed like the perfect match.
In June of 2004, Kris and Colin teamed up with good friends Okano Naoko and Josh Pollock who were living in Kunming. Together, the four rented an 87 square-meter storefront situated in the aptly named Wenhua Xiang, “Culture Alley,” a small road teeming with students from Yunnan University and foreigners from all walks of life. Over the next few months, the four remodeled a formerly unsuccessful Korean restaurant into a Coffee House unlike any on the planet. After an arduous journey through mountains of paperwork necessary to register a wholly foreign owned enterprise in China, Salvador's was validated on September 24th 2004 as Kunming Salvador's Food and Beverage Company Limited.
Salvador's rapidly gained notoriety among locals and non-locals alike. Talk of Salvador’s spread to places like Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou; and it wasn’t long before visitors made Salvador’s their first stop in Kunming. Over the course of the following years Salvador’s has taken it's menu and restaurant décor to new levels. Thanks to the hard work and devotion of the Salvador’s employees (several of which are still with us from the original crew trained in Dali) Salvador’s Coffee House continues to be a warm and friendly spot where customers can always rely on quality food and service. Many thanks are due to the Salvador’s education program, which provides native English-speaking private tutors to all employees and to the constant feedback from friends and customers alike.
Swing by sometime!
In June of 2004, Kris and Colin teamed up with good friends Okano Naoko and Josh Pollock who were living in Kunming. Together, the four rented an 87 square-meter storefront situated in the aptly named Wenhua Xiang, “Culture Alley,” a small road teeming with students from Yunnan University and foreigners from all walks of life. Over the next few months, the four remodeled a formerly unsuccessful Korean restaurant into a Coffee House unlike any on the planet. After an arduous journey through mountains of paperwork necessary to register a wholly foreign owned enterprise in China, Salvador's was validated on September 24th 2004 as Kunming Salvador's Food and Beverage Company Limited.
Salvador's rapidly gained notoriety among locals and non-locals alike. Talk of Salvador’s spread to places like Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou; and it wasn’t long before visitors made Salvador’s their first stop in Kunming. Over the course of the following years Salvador’s has taken it's menu and restaurant décor to new levels. Thanks to the hard work and devotion of the Salvador’s employees (several of which are still with us from the original crew trained in Dali) Salvador’s Coffee House continues to be a warm and friendly spot where customers can always rely on quality food and service. Many thanks are due to the Salvador’s education program, which provides native English-speaking private tutors to all employees and to the constant feedback from friends and customers alike.
Swing by sometime!
