The Bread Business Blog

Opening a Bakery in Los Angeles Against the Odds

Posted by Mike Ferretti on July 6, 2010

 

 

 

I read the news today, oh boy…..

 We opened a Great Harvest store in South Pasadena, CA last winter and as we approached the big day, I saw more media coverage for it than any store I could remember.  The buzz was amazing.  One of the things we do for new stores is help spread the news about opening, but this was bigger than normal.  And we are talking Los Angeles.  Not Bluefield, West Virginia.  In LA, you are competing with Lindsay and Brangelina for attention.  To get some is a big deal.  What was going on?

About a lucky (wo)man that made the grade.

 The answer was actually pretty simple.  As with most things in life, the whole thing was driven by someone that cared, had an incredible story and an undying passion for what was going on.

And though the news was rather sad

 Our bakery owners in South Pasadena, Patricia and Chris Diaz, went through more to get their store open than any other couple I have seen in my time in Great Harvest.   Not many people would have had the drive to see that store through to opening.  I admitted to our opening training team a couple of times I would have quit.  Not Patricia and Chris.  They kept moving forward against strong odds.  That is a wow statement for me.

Well I just had to laugh

 Then the day came.  The store opened.  I always call new stores on opening day to congratulate them but this store was so busy I got nothing.  Just an answering machine.  Move over Miley.  Patricia and Chris were in town.

I saw the photograph

 With all this store went through to get open, I promised myself that the next time I was in the LA area, I would go see them.  I wanted to thank them in person for not giving up on their dream and to just see what the vibe was all about….

One of the hardest things I do is figure out when I can spend time in bakeries.  With my dual role as location specialist and CEO I get to travel to every corner of the country.  I am normally near stores.  I am also normally being pulled home to be a dad or husband.  Balancing that is hard and I rarely get it right.  When I have the time to spend an extra day, like I did this week in the LA area, I do so.  When I have to get home so the 18 year old isn’t doing what I did at age 18 when both mom and dad were out of town, like happened a couple of weeks ago when I was in Michigan, I don’t.

For me, spending time in bakeries is good.  I always get something out of the visit that makes me a better CEO.  This week, in addition to visiting Pasadena, I arranged a trip in August to our Thousand Oaks store and went to our Temecula store.  I got some quality time in two stores and connected with a third.  Some things I saw this week were awesome.  The breakfast sandwiches in Temecula are incredible and will be tested soon to see if we can do them in other stores.  But, selfishly, I got to read the news today.  And I did it in LA with a good visit to a couple of really exciting stores…..Oh boy.

I am not even a Beatles fan but that song...

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