Atlanta Bread Company facts for kids
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Trade name
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Atlanta Bread |
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| Private | |
| Industry | |
| Genre | Fast casual |
| Founded | 1993 Sandy Springs, Georgia |
| Founder | Robert Auffenberg Richard Auffenberg |
| Headquarters | Smyrna, Georgia, U.S. |
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Number of locations
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10 restaurants (2024) |
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Area served
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Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina |
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Key people
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Jerry Couvaras, president & CEO Basil Couvaras, VP COO |
| Products | Soups, salads, sandwiches, pizza, pastas, and bakery items |
| Revenue | US$122 million (2010) US$0.831 million (2021) |
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Number of employees
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5,000 (2004) 350 (2020) |
Atlanta Bread Company is a private company in the United States. It is a chain of bakery-café restaurants. They have 10 locations in three different states. Their main office is in Smyrna, Georgia. This city is a suburb near Atlanta.
Atlanta Bread offers many tasty items. These include fresh bakery goods, pasta, salads, sandwiches, and soups. They also have special drinks. Besides the bakery, you can order from a regular menu. This menu has flatbreads, paninis, and various side dishes. They also serve coffee, espresso drinks, and fruit smoothies. You can also find hot chocolate, iced drinks, and lemonade. Even though the name is similar, Atlanta Bread is not connected to Panera Bread.
Contents
History of Atlanta Bread
How It Started
Atlanta Bread Company was started in 1993. Robert and Richard Auffenberg founded it. Their first restaurant was in Sandy Springs, Georgia. This area is part of the larger Atlanta metropolitan area.
In 1994, Jerry Couvaras moved to Atlanta. He found the restaurant and joined the company. He became the manager of a location in Marietta, Georgia. Jerry was born in South Africa. He used to work in banking.
New Leadership and Growth
In 1995, Jerry Couvaras became the president and CEO. His brother, Basil Couvaras, became the chief operating officer (COO). The Couvaras brothers began selling franchises. This helped the company grow quickly.
By 1999, Atlanta Bread Company was one of the fastest-growing franchises. They planned to open many more restaurants. Around this time, the Couvaras brothers settled a legal disagreement. This was with the Auffenbergs about who owned the business.
Challenges and Changes
In 2004, Atlanta Bread Company was very large. It had 5,000 employees. There were 170 restaurants in 25 states. It was one of the biggest cafe and bakery chains.
However, after 2004, the number of restaurants and sales went down. This was partly due to some locations not doing well. There were also some disagreements with franchise owners. The company faced some legal challenges during this time.
Adapting and Moving Forward
In 2010, the company's sales were $122 million. By 2011, they had 74 locations in 20 states. Some stores had closed since 2008. This was partly due to the Great Recession. Jerry Couvaras said that closing some stores was part of a plan. The goal was to earn money to make the remaining stores better.
Atlanta Bread Company has received some awards. In 2011, Fast Casual magazine listed them in the top 100 "Movers & Shakers." As of 2024, Atlanta Bread Company has 10 restaurant locations. They are located in three states.
See also
