Last Updated on July 30, 2012 by DeanR
House of Bread Franchise
House of Bread is a franchise for a bakery specializing on muffins, scones, and specialty breads.
It was founded in 1996 and started franchising in 1998. It was founded by Sheila McCann. She was a criminal trial lawyer before she changed careers and decided to open the House of Bread. She often reminisced about baking with her grandmother in their family ranch in Montana. From these memories came a dream of opening up a business offering healthy bread which is good for the body and soul. The first location was opened in San Luis Obispo, California.
She brought the wheat from Montana in the form of high-protein flour. She believes that not all flours are created the same. She says that flour is like coffee and the goodness of it depends on where it was grown and the best wheat used in bread are grown from high mountains. It was in 1998 that she realized that there were no national bread companies besides Wonderbread. It was when she decided to start franchising House of Bread Bakery Cafe. They now have seven locations in the United States and one location that is company owned.
What is on the menu at a House of Bread Bakery and Cafe?
For lunch, they have Soups and Salads like the Garden Salad that has walnuts, cranberries, red onion, feta cheese, lettuce, and homemade croutons. Their Gourmet Sandwiches can be ordered as half or whole and you can add a small salad or a cup of soup. The Gourmet Sandwiches comes in Veggie Delight, Cranky Turkey, Turkey Curry Sandwich, House of Bread Club, Tuscan Chicken, California Fusion Panini, Ham and Cheese, and The Western. You can also create your own sandwich as well. You can also choose your own bread for your sandwich from Honey Whole Wheat, Grandma’s White, Cheese Bread, or Bread of the Day.
How different is their bread at House of Bread?
The wheat flour they use is naturally milled daily at every location of House of Bread. They say that if you let it sit,, it loses its nutrients and taste. They also use high-fiber whole grains. For sweetener, they use pure honey instead of sugar. Their bread has no preservatives or any kind of chemicals. They use the natural way of preserving breads. The breads are also fat-free. If they use fats, they only use natural sources such as olive oil, eggs, real butter, or canola oil.
Cost and requirements on running a House of Bread franchise
You need to have a net worth of $500,000 and a total liquid asset of at least $150,000. Expect to be investing about $157,000 to $347,000. The cost of House of Bread franchise fee is $32,000 with an on-going royalty fee of 6%. This is for a renewable 10 year term agreement. You will need about eight employees to run one location. They allow multi-unit ownership and absentee ownership.
What is included in the franchise package?
There will be 14 days training at the headquarters and 10 days at your location. You will be receiving newsletters and a toll free phone number. You will be provided assistance at the grand opening. You will be given access to the internet and to purchasing cooperatives. Expect to be attending meetings and receiving occasional field evaluations.
House of Bread Contact Details
You may reach them at:
Address: 299 Marsh Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Phone: (800) 545-5146 or (805) 542-0255
Email: bread@houseofbread.com