The world has changed drastically in the last five years, and the bakery industry is no exception. The pandemic was a struggle for many in the food service business, but bakers found a way to thrive with flexibility and creativity!
Many restaurant owners struggled with customers staying home and learning to cook for themselves when times were scary. However, the pandemic’s sourdough trend only strengthened the country’s interest in baked goods and handmade, locally sourced treats. That’s excellent news for bakeries!
Running a bakery is all about joy! Baked goods mark milestones, are part of every celebration, and are the ultimate comfort food in difficult times. Beautiful confections and satisfying breads have always been the perfect answer to life’s woes. Still, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many bakery owners to adapt to the new service landscape quickly. Most had to shut down temporarily, which proved too much for some, but others thrived in the changing world and are continuing to do so now.
Bakery owners are an innovative lot. During the pandemic, they spread joy to the community where they could, whether that meant offering online ordering and touchless pickup or sharing baking tips and recipes online. They figured out that health and safety would become the new norm, hopped on new baking trends, and became more engaged with their communities.
Going forward, like restaurant owners, bakery owners will keep some of the great lessons of the pandemic that will help us all stay prepared to face the unknown. It has indeed been a time of transformation for service industries. Here are some of the most important takeaways from the pandemic for bakeries moving forward:
1. Partner with Other Businesses
Bakeries have always been good partners. Whether catering a wedding alongside another business, serving pastries for a summer festival, or providing bread to local restaurants, bakery owners know that partnerships result in profits.
Because baked goods are usually small and easy to transport, bakery owners have more opportunities than restaurants to sell in more places, such as farmer’s markets, local street fairs, outdoor dining areas, and arts and crafts markets. This is an excellent strategy, especially since we’re in the golden age of food trucks!
In fact, despite inflation and a turbulent market, many bakers are finding more independent success as part of the “Creator Economy” rather than the traditional brick-and-mortar bakery model.
2. Cultivate an Online Presence
Businesses of all kinds had to get good at maintaining an online presence during the pandemic. Professional bakers joined the game by sharing their ideas, tips, and advice to help home bakers improve. Milwaukee’s Classy Girl Cupcakes started sharing cheeky Quarantine Cakes online. Encouraging people to “eat their feelings,” the cakes were available for purchase and gave many people a smile with of-the-moment designs like toilet paper rolls, Amazon boxes, and Clorox wipes.
Similarly, National Bakery and Deli created “injectable” jelly donuts to celebrate the COVID-19 vaccine. They’ve promoted their donuts to supporters online, creating quite a buzz and getting featured in local news spots.
A solid online presence will continue to be a winning strategy as we move forward. The new community-minded customer is looking for ways to engage with their favorite local businesses, so having active and engaging social media accounts is a great start.
Plan to use your social media to promote sales, new items, promotions, contests, and any local news coverage or awards. You could even try hosting baking classes! Don’t forget aesthetic and beautiful images of unique baked goods are a staple of social media platforms like Instagram.
Another strategy is to try getting mentioned in the much-anticipated “Best of List” in your city or area. Businesses in these lists get a little free advertising when their name appears, which can bring in new customers. The voting aspect of the lists also entices customers to show their support and camaraderie by supporting their favorite establishments and helping them win. Clientele feels good about playing a small role in nominating and promoting winners, especially when business has been slow.
3. Hold Pop-Up Events
Many people thought launching a bakery business during the COVID-19 pandemic was crazy, but Sugar Cube Donuts did that during the Milwaukee Third Ward Fall Crawl. The unique and decadent square donuts feature an array of tantalizing flavors and distinctive toppings. Realizing that a full-time storefront wasn’t in the cards, they paired with businesses like On the Bus and hosted pop-ups from Bayshore to Downtown.
Although pop-up events can be difficult if you don’t have a dedicated kitchen, they allow bakers to partner with commercial restaurants to share kitchen access during off-hours. Much like food truck restaurants, pop-up bakeries have the novelty and excitement of a special event. This unique business model also allows a lot of flexibility and allows businesses to build a fan base before deciding to put down roots!
4. Get Involved in the Community in New Ways
For most of human history, bakeries, specifically bread bakers, have been the heart and soul of nearly every community in the world. Getting involved in your community is not only good business practice in the modern world, but it’s also a way of returning to our origins and helping to build thriving societies.
There are countless ways you could get involved locally. From sponsoring a school’s sports teams to opening your doors to those in need of shelter during harsh weather, supporting local initiatives and becoming a visible regular in your city or town are great ways to ensure that your customer base supports you in hard times as much as you want to support them!
Here’s a great example: Friendship Circle Bakery in Mequon helps the community by providing jobs to adults with special needs. During COVID-19, the bakery had to forgo events and their typical fundraising model. Then, they got creative and hosted a socially distanced “Bike4Friendship” fundraiser, providing baked goods for outdoor holiday events like Hannukah celebrations!
5. Reach Out for Support
The pandemic has shown us how reliant we are on each other for help. It has also highlighted the importance of businesses being well-versed in the associations, organizations, and resources available to them when times get tough.
For bakers, specific groups like the Wisconsin Bakers Association help members navigate challenging times. Organizations like the American Bakers Association offer comprehensive lists of legal, financial, business, and industry resources to help them create a thriving business and keep their doors open!
Of course, it is always a good idea to stay up-to-date and compliant with your local, regional, and national laws and regulations and to keep in contact with your legal and financial teams. This way, you ensure that you always have the resources you need anytime you need them!
6. Adjust Business Models
As any great baker knows, there are times when you have to make adjustments. Adapting a recipe is commonplace in the world of baking, and similarly, it’s become a necessity in running a small business in general.
Here’s a good case study: When Ruggeri’s Lake Country Bakery closed due to the pandemic, the owners decided the best thing to do was adjust their business model to attract more customers. They reopened as Ruggeri’s Italian Market, serving homemade pasta, sauces, and breads to Pewaukee.
There’s an important lesson to be learned from Ruggeri’s story – one of the most important things you can do to ensure that your bakery business can handle anything that life throws at you is to remain adaptable. Double-check that you have adequate crisis response plans in place, keep a good amount of savings in the bank, and be open to adopting different business models and new ideas when local crises hit.
7. Keep Safety and Sanitation in Mind
One of the most significant changes we have seen since the pandemic is that consumers and business owners are more concerned about health and safety than ever! This is particularly true in the food service industries, where the risk of exposure and food-borne illnesses is constantly concerning.
Even though the pandemic is over, we must always be prepared for future harsh weather, nasty cold and flu seasons, and other outside threats to health and safety. Being transparent about your sanitation practices will also help you build trust with your loyal customers!
Instant access to water heated to at least 180° F is essential for adequately sanitizing your kitchen and equipment. So whether it’s in a physical store or your home kitchen, if you’re running a bakery establishment, having access to reliable hot water can help keep you in business!
Reliable Water Services is Here for You
At Reliable Water Services, we pride ourselves on ensuring you have the hot water you need to keep your doors open.
We can provide 24/7 water heater services to our customers, so you never have to wait on inconvenient repairs or costly replacements again. Don’t hesitate to contact us 24/7 at 1-800-356-1444 whenever you need service!
