07/09/2025
Same feeling here
Having a restaurant is not only for serving food , but it’s all about you and me and all the touched stories going on. We appreciated we have thick and thin customers joined our journey. Wish more and more people visit us Hoja Bubble Tea and Asian Street Food 💖God Bless Us
Rest in Peace, Danny 🕊️
Today I lost a friend. His name was Danny, and I met him right here at Heirloom. He was 69. He told me early on he didn’t have much money, but he loved the pizza. His wife Sandy was sick, and he took care of her in their apartment nearby. I told him from that day forward, he could have a free pizza anytime — no questions asked. That was almost a year ago now.
Danny became more than just a regular. He’d come in sometimes just to hang out, talk sports, tell stories. After Sandy passed away late last year, Danny came to let me know. He also told me he was going to take out a loan to cover her cremation. I couldn’t let that happen — so I emptied almost all the money I had in Heirloom’s account and paid for it. It was just the right thing to do.
We kept in touch ever since, molding an even stronger bond between us. Most of the first half of this year, I have not been at Heirloom because of some personal things I have been going through. Thanks to my mom, we are still open today. A month or two ago, I came back to the shop full-time and Danny offered me a room in his apartment so I could save money and get things going again here. The very room his wife had spent her last days in. I’ve been living with him there since. He hadn’t been feeling well and his health started to decline, so being there gave me a chance to help him out some too.
Two days ago I got home from the shop and he wasn’t there. He had called 911 and ended up at Medical City Plano. We exchanged a few texts — he said he was going into surgery. This morning, I woke up to a message from his son. Danny passed away.
It hit me hard. I’ve been thinking about everything — what I could’ve done differently, if I should’ve pushed him harder to get help. I’ve been watching his 15 year old dog while he was in the hospital. His dog is also sick and just cries for Danny. It’s just truly heartbreaking.
But I wanted to share this because it’s a reminder to me — and maybe to all of us — that Heirloom isn’t just about pizza. It never was. It’s about people. It’s about community. It’s about real lives, real relationships, and real stories. I opened this place with no business plan, no pizza background, just passion. And over time, guests have become friends. Mentors have walked in and taught me how to do this, literally everything I do at Heirloom today I have learned from guests walking through the doors. And guys like that, guys like Danny, have changed my life.
I’m not here to make millions. I’m here to serve people. To give back. To offer opportunity. To build something that matters. To give good jobs to good people that care, to people that may not have had another opportunity. To grow and be able to make other people business owners, giving them their own stores. To be here for people, for you. To listen, to talk, not just sell pizza. That’s the vision. That’s what I’m chasing.
Thank you all for being a part of this journey — even just by showing up and grabbing a slice. You never know the kind of impact that can have on someone.
Rest easy, Danny. Thank you for the friendship. I’ll carry it with me forever.
– Justin
Heirloom Pizza ❤️
