When HomeState, a “Texas Kitchen” in Southern California founded by Briana Valdez in 2013, opens its ninth location in Santa Monica next month, it won’t just be serving up its famous breakfast tacos and queso. It will also be celebrating the role that music plays alongside food in creating the restaurant’s distinctive sense of place. By partnering with Custom Channels, HomeState ensures that every one of its “Texas Kitchen” locations sounds as authentic as they taste.
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For HomeState, music isn’t background noise—it’s the second most important thing on the menu, right after the food and hospitality. The brand’s family roots in Texas are reflected not only in the recipes but in the rhythm of the dining experience.
“Music is as much a part of HomeState as the tortillas or the queso,” said Andy Valdez, director of marketing and founder Briana’s triplet sister. “It’s central to our brand’s identity; part of our DNA. My family grew up surrounded by Tejano, soul, conjunto, and country music—sounds that filled our Texas home and shaped our sense of community. When guests walk into HomeState, I want them to feel that same mix of warmth, nostalgia, and discovery. Custom Channels helps us to recreate that, every day, across every single HomeState location.”
As HomeState began expanding beyond its first few restaurants, Andy Valdez had found it increasingly challenging to maintain the same handcrafted music experience that defined the brand. That changed after she met Custom Channels’ Jeremy Bookman at a restaurant industry conference in Denver in 2022. Their collaboration started with a pilot program at HomeState’s Highland Park location, where the results were immediate—a fully licensed, expertly curated streaming solution that captured the restaurant’s signature energy while adapting seamlessly throughout the day.
Today, as HomeState prepares to open its ninth location in Santa Monica and a tenth in El Segundo in early 2026, every restaurant across the chain benefits from a consistent, high-quality sound that evolves naturally from morning calm to evening buzz—with Custom Channels making it possible for the brand to grow while staying true to its essence.
“For almost four years now Custom Channels has given us the tools to scale without losing our soul,” explained Andy Valdez. “They help us sound like ourselves, understanding our taste, our tone, and our sense of humor—across every restaurant, every meal, every song—keeping it human, licensed, and authentic.”
At HomeState, music and food share the same creative process—both are crafted with care, shaped by tradition, and designed to bring people together. Working closely with a Custom Channels programmer, Andy fine-tunes playlists for the restaurant chain, crafting the “finishing salt” that brings everything together.
“We’re open from morning to night, seven days a week and it’s imperative that the music is appropriate for the day and time. A Monday morning has to sound quite different from a Friday night — and it truly wouldn’t be possible without Custom Channels and their programmers! Additionally, the ability to add music as it’s released to ensure that the sound stays fresh is a huge assist in helping HomeState stay connected to culture in real time,” Andy Valdez added
The upcoming Santa Monica restaurant will showcase HomeState’s next evolution—a refined sound system designed to highlight the Custom Channels platform with even greater clarity and warmth. Guests will hear the same musical mix that regulars love from Highland Park, Pasadena, and Sherman Oaks. All locations will be unified by a consistent sonic identity that is rooted in HomeState’s Texas heritage. The ongoing partnership with Custom Channels helps ensure that the essence of HomeState remains intact no matter how far it grows.
“Music, food, and people—that’s our trinity,” concluded Andy Valdez. “Custom Channels help us keep them all in harmony. They’ve given us a way to grow without losing what makes HomeState HomeState. Every single day, Custom Channels ensures that we sound like us, and nobody else.”