Flying Star (restaurant)

History

The first Flying Star Cafe location opened in 1987 on Central Avenue in the Nob Hill area of Albuquerque, near the University of New Mexico campus. At that time it operated under the name Double Rainbow, as a franchisee of the San Francisco ice cream chain of the same name. The two businesses had an agreement regarding common use of the name, but when the Albuquerque location wanted to expand into food service, the agreement was revisited. Consequently, Double Rainbow in Albuquerque changed its name to Flying Star Cafe, a name selected from over 300 choices and derived from a Chinese Firecracker Magazine.

As Double Rainbow, two more locations opened: one in the Northeast Heights on Juan Tabo Boulevard in 1995, and another near the Uptown area on Menaul Boulevard in 2000. The name change to Flying Star occurred when the fourth location opened in 2001 in the North Rio Grande Valley, which features a horse hitching post and a large Petio for dining with pets. A fifth location opened in 2005 in Downtown Albuquerque, adding a conference room for business lunches.

The Downtown Albuquerque location is housed in the former Southern Union Gas Company Building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Satellite Coffee is the sister company of Flying Star Cafe, and Flying Star locations serve Satellite coffee.