The experience can be like a pulsing, vibrating electricity just radiating through the air. Sometimes it is tough even to put your finger on what the reasons for this are, but it can be that perfect combination of intoxicating aromas, the thumping magical beat of just the right music, or that perfect smile and greeting from an employee.
I recently had the pleasure and privilege of spending a few days at one of our busiest and most successful bakeries in Anchorage, Alaska during their weeklong 18th anniversary celebration. Owners Dirk Sisson and Barb Hood know just what that magical formula is for creating a fun and bustling atmosphere that customers just love.
This is no accident. Great Harvest has been helping local bakery owners recreate the lightning in a bottle that founders Pete and Laura Wakeman captured way back in 1976 with the first bakery in Great Falls, MT. The system works. The training systems and recommendations have evolved over the years as customer demand and appetites have changed, but the foundation is pure, original Great Harvest. To use a basketball metaphor - the best local business owners in our system have the ability to “pivot” and add things like websites or sandwiches or a coffee program while still keeping one foot planted firmly in the basics.
What Dirk & Barb do so well with their amazing crew in Anchorage is really stick with these fundamentals that make Great Harvest bakeries so GREAT. Unbelievable customer service, delicious hot products available all day, a commitment to giving back to the community, and Dirk's electric owner presence in the bakery are what attracts customers back week after week for the last 18 years. The bakery is just flat out a fun place to be.
On this trip, I stayed for the weekend and traveled to Homer for a little play time. I was 220
miles from Anchorage and almost everyone I talked to from the desk clerk at the hotel, to my waitress at a restaurant and the cowboy who led my day-long horseback ride gushed about how much they loved the Anchorage Great Harvest. I made the cowboy’s week when after our ride I surprised him with a loaf of whole wheat bread I had in the rental car that Dirk gave me on my way out the door. So I know that the bakery wasn’t just putting on a show for me – they make an impact on every customer, every day.
If what you want to do is discover a franchise opportunity that gives you all the tools necessary to be a successful, dynamic, and much loved presence in your community then we may be the answer for you.
