Meet Amanda Campbell

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amanda Campbell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
Community and providing hospitality are what drive me to keep doing what I’m doing. I’ve learned restaurants are what I do best despite requiring long hours with possibly lower pay. It’s just what I’m meant to be doing with my nurturing personality and 25 years of experience with it. I always hoped Halcyon could be a community center since we are in a neighborhood, are open most of the time and try to have something for everyone. I really saw that we are a big part of the community when Covid happened and I’m glad I was able to pivot to groceries & still provide food to people. Maybe they couldn’t enjoy it our space but I still hope it helped them decamp from life for just a bit. We find people come here looking for answers and to get a pulse on what’s going on. While we might not always have all the answers, we still can try to bring a smile to a guest’s face with our offerings and service. I want people to feel welcome like they are coming into my home & I’m happy to be of service to them. The hope is that you have just what they are looking for and enjoy themselves.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am most proud of getting my business through the St Patrick’s Block Party that happens every year here. It takes months of planning and so many details with lots of stress…all while still running our regular business as well! We end up making about a month’s worth of sales in ONE day. It is always the craziest day I’ve ever worked in my life. I always wonder how I came to be in charge of something so wild and important but it is a big part what has helped this business survive over the years. Running this event for us makes me feel like I can do anything!

I’m also very proud of how this place has changed over the years and that we’re still here. We didn’t have anything vegan on our menu when I started, and now we have an entire separate vegan menu! I’ve been a vegan for almost 14 years so I’ve always dreamed of opening a vegan restaurant. I have to remind myself that I’ve kind of already accomplished that! We make a lot of people happy here but especially vegans!

It’s almost funny to see pictures of this place 8 years ago. It looks so bare and almost sterile. I’m also the plant guru and it’s really helped the place come alive. I have plants here that were maybe a foot tall and now they’re at least 10 feet and still growing. I can’t wait to get outside tomorrow and start replanting our planters for the Summer. It will be teeming with flowers soon. I’m glad I get to take care of aspects of the business like this. When I get to planting, lots of guests will stop and talk to me about the garden and how much they love Halcyon. It doesn’t really get any better than that 🙂 I hope one day I can have another restaurant with room for a big community garden!

I always say to my staff, if something isn’t right, then we’ll work to change it. Being flexible has been key for us staying in business. I’ve learned that many people want to offer advice but at the end of the day, I’m the one that has been here since the beginning and my opinion is also very valuable. I hope that people realize that behind every successful business there is at least one very dedicated person that has poured more than you can imagine into it. It’s easy to be critical but it’s also easy to be kind. That’s why our checks still say “Please be nice to Amanda” on the bottom of them (started in May 2020 when I came down with shingles from all the stress)!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Fraternal Order of Eagles in East Dallas is one of my favorite places in all of Dallas. I love how it’s tucked away in the trees, they have a huge pool and you feel like family no matter when you go. When my friend from Hawaii came, she loved it too & all she wanted to do was go back there. I feel like that’s saying something from a person that gets to go to the beach all the time!

Sketches of Spain in Oak Cliff is one of my favorite places to go for a nice dinner. Maybe to celebrate, maybe just to enjoy some lovely sherry and Spanish tapas.

We’d have to hit up a great cocktail bar like Jettison, Bowen House, Saint Valentine, or Boxcar just depending on where we were at in town. The tiki bar Swizzle is also a fav and a fun environment. I love bringing people to the Mezcalaria, Las Almas Rotas. And my most frequented restaurants are Pho for Lovers & Ngon, which both have amazing vegan options!

Definitely would have to hit up at least one museum. The Sixth Floor, DMA and Perot are all great but I really love to pop into the Meadows Museum in SMU. I go after work sometimes just for a unique way to decompress.

My favorite mall is North Park if my guest wanted to go shopping. I’d rather hit up North Haven Gardens just up the road though.

Of course we have the suburbs and other cities with great things like Asian markets, local plant nurseries and stores we don’t have in the city, like IKEA. I used to live in Lewisville when I went to UNT so I like to go to places like Ramen Hakata or 7 Mile Cafe when I still go to my dentist up there. I recently went to a new little vegan sandwich shop called Beyond the Bun and it was tucked away in the biggest antique store I’ve ever seen! I can’t believe I Iived there 6 years & didn’t know about it. You never know what you might find, but I suppose people in the suburbs feel the same way about finding spots in Dallas. Dolly Python & Curiosities are both great antique stores down here if we were just staying in Dallas.

Lastly, I haven’t been yet, but I really want to visit Mushroom Street Farms in Deep Ellum. Maybe we could even catch a show, wander into Twilight or go swing dancing at Sons of Hermann!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My GM from my very first job as a hostess was my first inspiration, Mary Mikeal. She was such a go-getter and didn’t let staff get away with things at all but was still beloved. She was so on point! I also am still so grateful for my GM when I first became a manager: Thomas Bird. He taught me things I still think of often like how to see patterns & not let people rattle you. And he showed me how to take care of a building which is really a great life skill. I also am thankful for so many great teachers from all the way back to elementary school through college. I know being a teacher is a very difficult profession and I’m so grateful that there was so many still available to impart their knowledge to me. I often wonder if kids these days are as lucky as I was to have so many great teachers. I hope to help others grow with me and foster some more really great managers!

Website: https://www.halcyoncoffeebar.com/greenville

Instagram: @halcyondallas

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-campbell-30b1526

Facebook: halcyondallas

Yelp: Halcyon Dallas

Image Credits
Amanda Campbell