Syrian Kurdish refugees start new cycle with coffee shop located in an Austin laundromat

Youssef Shabo graduated college in 2011, around the same time protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were escalating into what would turn into a civil war.

“At the time, it was just like protests were getting serious,” said Shabo, “and military service back home, it was mandatory.”

The Syrian Civil War lasted more than a decade, claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, and displaced millions.

“More than half of the country became refugees during the civil war,” said David Lesch, Ewing Halsell Distinguished Professor of History at Trinity University.

Shabo and his family felt especially at risk because they’re Kurdish, the world’s largest ethnic minority group without its own state. 

Under the Assad government, Lesch says that Kurds were an “always discriminated-against minority in Syria.”

Like millions of other Syrians, Shabo fled the country. 

In the middle of the night, his family got a call from his aunt, who was working at an airport in Aleppo. She told them that the country was preparing to shut its borders to young men leaving Syria.

“The regime was desperate to draft as many people as possible,” explained Lesch.

The call from Shabo’s aunt came in sometime after midnight. By 8 a.m. that morning, he was on a flight to Jordan.

“I didn’t say goodbye to any of my friends, to any family members,” he said. “I just had to leave.”

Shabo’s family was able to join him in the United States a few months later. They applied for asylum and in 2019, they were all granted American citizenship.

“I had to drive down to San Antonio to do the citizenship exam,” said Shabo. “The freedom that comes in this country, that people usually take for granted, I feel like I have a level of admiration and respect.”

The birth of BRB Coffee

When Shabo first arrived in the United States, he experienced a massive culture shock. 

“Here in the U.S., it’s always 75 degrees,” he said. “It’s weird to me.”

Shabo grew up drinking Turkish coffee, a strong, concentrated brew that made American drip coffee taste pathetic by comparison.

“It’s just too light. It didn’t hit the spot,” he said. “So personally, I started learning about mocha pots and espressos and French press as a personal hobby.”

Shabo graduated from the University of Texas in 2020 and spent a few years working in architecture before realizing it wasn’t for him. Around that time, his brother Rony lost his job in tech.

“We both sat down and looked at each other and were like, let’s start something that we own,” said Shabo.

While brainstorming business ideas, Shabo remembered a laundromat he used as a UT student. While his clothes were in the wash, he’d grab coffee at nearby shops to kill time.

“People are spending around two hours in the laundromat,” he said. “They’re literally watching paint dry.”

Shabo and his brother pitched the idea of a laundromat coffee shop to the store’s owner, who loved the plan and agreed to clear out space in the building for them. 

He also donated some out-of-commission dryers they now use for counter space at BRB Coffee.

When Shabo and his brother first opened, their goal was to offer a standard selection of lattes and pastries, but the more they talked to customers, the more they received requests to incorporate aspects of Syrian culture.

“When we did the little soft opening party, my mom made a couple of trays of baklava,” said Shabo, “and people really loved them.”

BRB initially started offering baklava only on the weekends, but Shabo’s mother was enthusiastic about contributing. A few days a week, against her sons’ wishes, she’ll make fresh trays of baklava.

“She loves feeding us,” said Shabo. “Now it has become a staple at the coffee shop.”

BRB Coffee is located inside a laundromat, which means that people often struggle to locate it. Youssef Shabo likes this about his business.

“I enjoy it being a little obscure and people like struggling to find it,” he said. “I think it gives it a little more character.”

A third space

Since opening in 2025, BRB Coffee has also become a gathering space for arts and culture organizations in Central Austin.

Youssef and Rony Shabbo have helped put on concerts, comedy shows, arts and crafts meetups and a weekly chess club.

In July, they hosted an event by Shako Mako, a nonprofit that puts on events for Iraqi Americans. The organization was founded a year ago by Noor Saud Abdulaziz.

“I first came to the States in 2012 as a war refugee,” she said. “I got into university, continued my education, now I have a PhD in educational psychology.”

Abdulaziz started the organization as a way of preserving Iraqi culture and helping others adjust to American culture. In July, BRB hosted a women’s circle for Shako Mako.

“We meet together as women, talk about our journeys, what are their needs, their struggles. Also think of ways to help each other,” she said.

Since starting the organization, Abdulaziz has noticed that more of her events are bringing out not just Iraqis, but other immigrant communities as well.

“My heart is full,” she said. “I’m able to support other communities, whether they’re Arab or not.”

If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it here. Your gift helps pay for everything you find on texasstandard.org and KUT.org. Thanks for donating today.