When HomeState, the beloved “Texas Kitchen” in Southern California, founded by Briana Valdez in 2013, opens its ninth location in Santa Monica this 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, the leading provider of streaming music for business, HomeState ensures that every one of its “Texas Kitchen” locations sounds as authentic as they taste.
“Music is as much a part of HomeState as the tortillas or the queso,” says 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 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,” explains Andy. “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.”
Music as the Finishing Salt
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,” Andy adds. “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.”
This shared philosophy has become part of HomeState’s identity. Since 2015, its Band Taco program has invited musicians to collaborate on limited-edition tacos, raising more than $500,000 for local nonprofits and featuring artists like Questlove, Khrurangbin, and Fred Armisen, all of whom have DJed HomeState patios multiple times. Guests frequently tell Andy that walking up to a HomeState feels like walking up to a music venue — “an experience, not just a restaurant” — and to her, that’s the ultimate compliment.
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,” concludes Andy. “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.”
For more information, visit www.myhomestate.com and www.custom-channels.com.
