By Sara Menco Arenas

In Broward County’s oldest city, there is a modern sense of community brewing inside Resurrection Cup, a cozy coffee shop in Dania Beach, founded by a Christian husband-and-wife duo with a mission bigger than just serving coffee.

Community is the heart of Resurrection Cup. More than just a place to grab coffee, the shop aims to be a true neighborhood spot— where building relationships with customers takes priority over the quick morning transactions. Resurrection Cup aims to create a space where guests feel like friends at the counter—comfortable enough to ask questions and engage.

“We visited coffee shops in lots of states, and what we noticed was that most places when you walk in it’s a little snobby. You feel a little intimidated to ask,” said owner, Alice Valdes. “We just didn’t want that. We wanted people to walk in and feel like their friends at the counter, find out what they like, not tell them what to get.”

Just five minutes away from the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport, Israel and Alice Valdes, opened the doors to Resurrection Cup in October 2021, after a lengthy building project that took place during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Inside, a small bookshelf welcomes guests, along with hand-drawn art that lines the walls. Behind the counter, a mural of hands holding cacao beans adds to the shop’s cozy atmosphere. To the side, the illustrated menu features each drink with its ingredients and ratios, making it easy for customers to choose—even if they’re unfamiliar with the options.

“We did think we could do a digital menu, but let’s do something so people have to interact,” said Alice Valdes. “Like most people come to the register and they don’t want to even look at you, so it’s one of the ways that we can interact with people because they have to ask questions.”

That intentional effort to spark conversation is part of a larger goal, to make each customer feel seen and valued. 

“People, when we remember their order, it’s amazing how it touches them,” said Alice Valdes. “People spend a lot of money on campaigns and how it looks online, but I think if you could remember somebody’s name, they would never forget you.”

Coffee remains the most integral part of the menu, which offers a variety of hot and iced options. The most popular is the Dirty Chai, a specialty drink made with equal parts espresso, vanilla chai, milk and foam.

A customer favorite from the food menu is the Koosh Tuna Melt, a family recipe passed down from Alice’s mother, Rosa, who is from Honduras.

“It’s very lemony. It’s sour with onion, lettuce, and tomato. That recipe came because as a kid, my mom used to make us a lot of tuna,” Alice said. “I’m Latin, so a lot of canned food we would eat when we were little because it was more economical.”

Alice admits that one of the most attractive traits of the coffee shop is their affordability, where they strive to offer quality food at prices that are accessible to the community.

“People ask why we don’t have prices on our menu, and that’s because our menu prices are actually low,” said Alice Valdes. “Our coffee is $3 to $4.50, if you want something crazy with all these add-ons, it’s $5.”

In addition to affordable prices, Resurrection Cup takes a different approach to tipping. In a world where tipping is expected almost everywhere, the shop actually encourages the opposite—a decision Israel Valdes made to keep the focus on genuine service rather than transaction.

“He [Israel] didn’t want our last encounter with people to be how much you’re going to tip me,” said Alice Valdes. “So in every way, he just wanted to be a blessing and he figured that by not asking for a tip, it would be a way to bless others.”

That mindset reflects the couple’s deep-rooted Christian faith, which guides many of the decisions behind Resurrection Cup and was a key component in the shop’s development and foundation. 

After signing a lease in 2016, construction delays left them waiting two years with no income—just as the pandemic hit in 2020.

“Nobody was coming to paint, nobody was coming to do inspections from the city; so it took us another year and a half,” said Alice Valdes. “People would drive by and say, ‘Oh my gosh, that business is never going to open.’”

Despite the setbacks, their faith kept them grounded through every delay and doubt. They stayed patient, working behind the scenes.

“We didn’t know either, but we would pray and pray and know that God has timing,” said Alice Valdes. “So we stayed patient, kept working hard, and then eventually, in late October 2021, we were able to muster it together and finish it.”

Looking ahead, the Valdes family isn’t focused on expansion, but on growing the original location. A food truck will soon be added to serve evening customers, with their daughter Mia stepping in to help lead the next phase of Resurrection Cup.

Alice hopes to continue serving each customer with the same kindness and reflection of God that inspired Resurrection Cup from the beginning.

“It’s really cool to, hopefully, be a part of people’s lives, bring them joy every day,” she said. “I was a missionary for a long time, and sometimes God sends you to where the people are.”