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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18 restaurants (2020) |
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Area served
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Georgia, Alabama, 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 American company. It runs a chain of bakery-café restaurants. They have 18 locations in four states. Their main office is in Smyrna, Georgia, which is a town near Atlanta.
Atlanta Bread Company offers many delicious items. You can find bakery goods, pasta, salads, sandwiches, and soups. They also have specialty drinks. Besides their bakery section, they have a full menu for eating in or taking out. This includes flatbreads, paninis, and various side dishes. For drinks, they offer coffee, espresso, frozen drinks, fruit smoothies, hot chocolate, iced drinks, lattes, lemonade, and tea. Even though the name sounds similar, Atlanta Bread is not related to Panera Bread.
The Story of Atlanta Bread Company
Atlanta Bread Company was started in 1993. It was founded by Robert and Richard Auffenberg. The very first restaurant opened in Sandy Springs, Georgia. This area is part of the larger Atlanta city region.
In 1994, Jerry Couvaras came to Atlanta. He found the restaurant and decided to join the company. He became the manager of a restaurant in Marietta, Georgia. Jerry grew up in South Africa. Before this, he worked as an investment banker.
New Leadership and Growth
In 1995, Jerry Couvaras became the president and CEO. CEO stands for Chief Executive Officer. His brother, Basil Couvaras, became the COO. COO means Chief Operating Officer. Around this time, the Couvaras brothers began selling franchises. This allowed other people to open Atlanta Bread Company restaurants.
By 1995, the company was growing. They were expanding across the country. In 1999, Atlanta Bread Company was one of the fastest-growing franchises in the United States. They planned to quickly double their number of restaurants.
Changes and Challenges
After 2004, the number of restaurants and the company's income went down. This was partly due to some locations not doing well. In 2011, the company had 74 locations in 20 states. This included 13 stores owned by the company itself. Many stores had closed since 2008. This was when the Great Recession started.
Jerry Couvaras explained that closing some stores was part of a plan. The goal was to get money to make the remaining stores better.
Awards and Recognition
Atlanta Bread Company has also received some awards. For example, in 2011, it was ranked in the Top 100 of Fast Casual’s Movers & Shakers. This shows it was recognized as an important company in its industry.
As of November 2020, there are 18 Atlanta Bread Company restaurants. They are located in six different states.
See also
