Let Bonrue Bakery's boomlet begin

It’s been less than a year since the tiny three-unit Bonrue Bakery was acquired by the private-equity Savory Fund.

Born in St. George, Utah, the bakery was founded in 2021 with pastry chefs from the fine-dining world who wanted to build a brand around extraordinary pastries, cakes, pies, sandwiches on fresh-baked bread and coffee—all with speed of service in mind.

Already, Bonrue is getting ready to pump the gas on growth.

Growth plans

Last week, the company announced plans to open 10 locations across Utah by the end of 2027, more than tripling its unit count. All will be company-owned. The first will open in Provo and Orem later this year.

That’s pretty aggressive growth for a young brand, and co-founder Chris Connors is very aware of the hazards ahead.

“We want to be careful about it,” he said. “A lot of brands get carried away with grow, grow, grow, grow, go fast, go fast, go fast. It can happen too fast and they ruin the brand.”

But Bonrue has a plan, he said.

Since the acquisition, the bakery concept has been working on systems, like how they order product from retail locations, setting up new “HR stuff” like payment systems, and generally making sure the back of house is ready to go, said Connors.

Hub and spoke model

Bonrue will be built with a hub-and-spoke model, with retail stores served by central baking facilities.

Don’t call them commissaries. Connors doesn’t like that term.

These are state-of-the-art baking hubs, which will house 40to 60 employees, Connors said. An executive chef would have three managers: one in charge of pastry/baking, one for desserts (cakes/pies/tarts) and one for savory menu items.

About 80% of menu items will be prepared at the bakery hubs and delivered daily to retail outlets, and about 20% of products can be baked in stores, he said.

Currently, Bonrue has a roughly 8,000-unit central kitchen that can serve six to seven retail outlets.

Next up is building a roughly 12,000-square-foot baking hub scheduled to open in Springville, Utah, which could support 10 units over the next three to four years, he said. As the chain grows, units will be built around a central facility serving each region.

It’s what Panera Bread did, but now is no longer doing.

The fast-casual Panera grew to more than 2,000 units using a bakery-hub model. But over the past two years, the chain has been closing the baking facilities and moving to third-party bakers.

“We don’t want to do that,” said Connors. “We don’t want a Sysco reheated product. Everything we do is made from scratch.”

Bonrue’s central baking facility system will bring consistency, Connors said. “It’s not 10 different bakers doing it their own way. There will be only one way, the Bonrue way.”

Consistency and flexibility

When you’re dealing with the delicate and demanding science of baking, consistency is a huge challenge, especially in a state like Utah with varying elevations and water sources. These things can make a difference.

The setup also gives Bonrue flexibility for the size of retail outlets. They can be as small as 600 square feet and as big as 2,000 square feet with indoor and patio seating. Under the model, the company expects to generate about $1,000 in sales per square foot.

And one of the units scheduled to open later this year in Provo will be a drive-thru unit, Connors said.

Bonrue is known for its kouign amann—the Breton-style butter cake that at this bakery has a caramelized shell. There’s also a version dipped in chocolate.

“We sell 100 to 200 of those a day,” he said.

The chain recently hired Emily Benson to the role of executive chef. She previously owned and operated a café and bakery for six years in South Carolina, and specializes in laminated pastry.

“She has a rustic style,” said Connors, noting that Benson will oversee all the “creativity, coaching and teaching.”

The goal is just to be the best bakery in every community Bonrue goes, he said. There are no immediate plans to franchise.

“People don’t understand how hard it is to make exceptional pastries, sandwiches, cakes, pies and tarts. It’s tough,” said Connors. “But now I think we’re in a good position to where we can handle the growth.”

Lisa Jennings is a veteran restaurant industry reporter and editor who covers the fast-casual sector, independent restaurants and emerging chain concepts.