Mother-Daughter Duo Put A Southern Spin On Afternoon Tea In Atlanta

When Brittany Campos returned from afternoon tea at The Berkeley in London, she brought home more than memories. The experience confirmed an idea she had been considering since her 2019 wedding, when the cost of hosting a bridal shower tea made her wonder whether she would be better off putting that money toward a business of her own.

“Before I spend that kind of money, I’d rather invest in my own business,” Campos recalled.

She saw room in Atlanta for a tea house that felt luxurious without simply copying the British tradition. When she shared the vision with her mother, Rita Campos, the idea gained a distinctly Southern point of view.

“We need to put a Southern spin on it—maybe something a little modern, with still traditional touches,” Rita remembered telling her daughter. “We didn’t want to change it too much, but we also wanted it to be relatable to the clients that are now in Atlanta.”

The result was The Dirty Tea, a Black woman-owned tea house in Atlanta’s Virginia-Highland neighborhood that opened in 2023. Inside, tiered trays and ornate china meet Southern banana pudding, tequila-spiked tea cocktails and the kind of warm, attentive service both women consider nonnegotiable.

The concept may photograph beautifully, but getting the doors open was anything but effortless.

Betting on Themselves

Neither Rita nor Brittany had owned a restaurant before The Dirty Tea. Rita brought years of experience in luxury retail and sales for Fortune 500 companies. Brittany had worked in luxury retail and hospitality before taking time to travel. Both understood high-end customer service, but they had to learn the mechanics of building a business in real time.

It took roughly two years to transform the space. The pair gutted it, navigated architectural plans and city approvals, hired professionals and absorbed costs they had never anticipated. They did it without taking out a loan.

“We did not borrow one dollar with this space,” Brittany said.

The decision gave them complete ownership of their vision, but it also placed their personal capital at risk. Looking back, Rita said they would approach financing differently for their next location. Still, the sacrifice helped establish the business as a first for their family: a lasting brick-and-mortar enterprise built from the ground up.

“I’ve never run a business before, and that’s what I’m most proud of,” Brittany said. “Not only did we open a business and we’re still here, but we’re the first in our family to really have a standing brick-and-mortar.”

Without a formal mentor guiding them, they assembled expertise around themselves. Their servers knew service. Their financial adviser helped them understand the numbers. Their kitchen staff brought culinary experience—meanwhile, mother and daughter learned by doing—and, sometimes, by making expensive mistakes.

“Instead of making millions of dollars for other companies, let’s try to do something on our own,” Rita said of her decision to join Brittany.

A Modern Tea With Southern Flavor

The Dirty Tea is designed to reward a closer look. Tables are set with different china patterns rather than a single matching collection. One setting might feature gold details while another has butterflies or florals. Guests often stop to photograph tables other than their own, already imagining what their next visit might look like.

That was Rita’s idea.

“If I came in to have tea and I had a great experience, and I’m looking at the table next to me, I’m like, ‘Oh, I know every time I come, I’m going to get a different set of china,’” she said.

The collection has grown large enough to require a storage unit. Every delicate piece is washed by hand.

The menu is similarly attentive to tradition without being constrained by it. There are familiar tea sandwiches—chicken salad, smoked salmon and cucumber—but the cucumber sandwich comes with a house-made spread. Rita prepares family recipes such as Southern banana pudding and cheesecake, and the team tests seasonal dishes with private-party guests before deciding whether to add them to the menu.

“We’re really big on the food tasting good,” Rita said. “If it’s not good, we’re not going to serve it.”

That standard pushes back against the notion that afternoon tea is more about presentation than flavor. The women have experimented with turkey clubs, turkey-cranberry sandwiches, pasta salad and lighter summer selections. During a previous nighttime concept, Dirty Tea After Dark, they served meatballs, deviled eggs and truffle fries. Brittany hopes to revive a nightlife experience with cocktails and an even stronger Atlanta influence.

“I’m almost ready to put a chicken wing on a tower,” she joked. “That’s what makes us different. We’re modern-day afternoon tea.”

Cocktails offer another playful entry point. The business name eventually revealed an unexpected double meaning: A “dirty” chai is chai tea with espresso. The tea house built on that connection with a signature Dirty Chai espresso martini made with tequila. Other customer favorites are a peach Paloma and a deceptively strong lemon drop mojito.

The name itself, however, came from a mother-daughter disagreement during the stressful build-out. After Brittany dismissed one of her mother’s ideas and walked away, Rita called her back.

“I said, ‘You know what? We should name it The Dirty Tea.’ She said, ‘Why?’ I said, ‘Because of your dirty mouth.’”

Brittany called back moments later. She liked it.

Boundaries, Balance and Legacy

Their differences have become part of the company’s operating system. Brittany describes herself as structured and “a little more militant.” Rita is the natural host, quick to prioritize the guest experience—even when that means giving something away.

“I always joke with her and tell her that I run a business and she runs a charity,” Brittany said.

Rita credits her daughter with teaching her discipline and focus. Brittany, in turn, is learning from her mother when to relax the rules and read the room. One keeps an eye on operations; the other makes sure a tea sandwich never becomes more important than a relationship with a customer.

The same philosophy protects their relationship away from the dining room. Brittany briefly moved in with Rita while they were preparing to open, but eventually realized that living and working together erased too many boundaries.

“I love you, but I cannot work with you and live with you,” she told her mother.

They can laugh about it now, but both are clear about what matters most. Rita, who said building the business with her daughter has been her most fulfilling work, refuses to let money or disagreements divide them.

“My love for her supersedes all of that,” she said. “We made a point not to be a statistic where you can’t work with family.”

That bond became even more important when both women experienced the end of long-term relationships around the same time in 2024. They kept the tea house running while holding each other up through heartbreak. For Rita, the company is now inseparable from the legacy she wants to leave her daughter: proof of what they were able to build together.

Turning Customer Feedback Into Growth

Social media has been crucial to The Dirty Tea’s visibility. Brittany manages the accounts and says influencers began reaching out before she could execute the paid strategy other restaurateurs had recommended. Some guests received complimentary experiences, while others booked and paid on their own.

But an Instagram-ready room only helps if the experience lives up to the post. The owners say they hold staff accountable for service, respond to online reviews and invite guests to share criticism directly. Early feedback led to changes, including additions to the table and adjustments to the menu.

“Everything negative is not bad,” Brittany said.

The same responsiveness shapes pricing. The weekday Mini Tea was priced at $45 at the time of the interview, while weekend packages ranged from $85 to about $110, depending on the experience. Rita and Brittany said they watch the economy and booking patterns, adjusting select prices while protecting the quality of their ingredients and service.

Their next ambition is a second location, with Nashville at the top of their list. The city’s growing population and bachelorette tourism make it a natural fit, and this time they would enter the process knowing the true costs of architectural plans, permitting, construction and staffing.

If investment arrived tomorrow, Brittany said, they would “immediately lock in a second location.”

For now, The Dirty Tea stands as evidence of what can happen when an idea survives the long distance between inspiration and opening day. Rita hopes other Black women who enter the space see not only the polished tables but also the persistence behind them.

“It can be done,” she said. “You just have to start.”

Brittany agreed, adding that starting also requires patience, planning, capital and sacrifice.

“Five years have passed already,” she said. “Imagine if we wouldn’t have started.”

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