House Of Bread Bakery Franchise Flourishing Despite Low-carb Hysteria

Career-changing franchisees eagerly open new bakeries nationwide

(Tuesday, June 22, 2004) - Who in their right mind would open a carb-rich bakery when today's low-carb diets are pushing people away from bread products? After all, even carb kings such as Krispy Kreme are blaming today's low-carb culture for lost customers and declining profits. The Crachys, Gefrohs, Lius, Santos and Warrens are, indeed, ignoring the carbohydrate bashers and pouring their life savings into a full-carb bakery. They are new, or soon-to-be, owners of House of Bread (HQA0132) franchises. Suzanne and Dave Crachy recently opened in Roseville, Calif, serving bread lovers throughout metropolitan Sacramento. This summer, openings are planned by the Gefrohs in Flagstaff, Az, the Lius in St. Paul, Minn., the Santos in Ventura, Calif. and the Warrens in Seattle. Three additional HOB franchise owners are looking for locations in Louisiana, Connecticut and California and hope to open by the holiday season. House of Bread, started in 1996 in San Luis Obispo, Calif., is a small regional franchise, with eight locations. But by the end of this year, an additional eight will be open, doubling the franchise size almost overnight. Soon to be open stores will join outlets in California, Colorado, Michigan, Nevada, Texas and Utah. And this during the biggest lowcarb craze anyone recalls. Franchise founder Sheila McCann isn't surprised by the increased interest in her company. She points out that House of Bread attracts franchisees who are gleefully escaping the corporate rat race, in many cases. She, herself, is a former public defender who tired of the negativity of the court system and yearned for a more basic, satisfying existence. "Our franchise owners enjoy the experience of baking bread, feel good about selling such a high quality, healthy product, and find the positive feedback from the customers very rewarding," explains McCann. "But the other part of the equation is our customers. They easily recognize that our products taste great, and are pleasantly surprised to find that our bread is truly healthy. Today's low-carb mania has lead to a huge public debate about the nature of carbohydrates, which has motivated people to learn about the differences between good carbs and bad carbs. Even those following the South Beach Diet, for example, are allowed to add nonprocessed whole grains back into their diets. And that's exactly what most of our products are – non-processed whole grains. This is hardly what you find when you buy highly processed bread in the grocery store." One of the newer franchisees, Mark Denis, echoes McCann's sentiments. He gave up an executive career to open the neighborhood bakery in Plymouth, Mich. "I just felt like the big corporate life wasn't for me anymore," said the former auto industry insider. "I feel that the old standard of selling a wholesome product with a genuine appreciation felt by both supplier and customer has gone out of many businesses today. We have brought this back with House of Bread." About House of Bread Sheila McCann opened the first House of Bread in San Luis Obispo, Calif., in 1996. In 1999, she began a national franchise program that will expand into 11 states by the end of 2004. All House of Bread recipes rely on fresh, high-quality ingredients, such as the high-protein wheat berries from Montana that are ground into flour daily at each House of Bread location. For more information, go to HYPERLINK "http:// www.houseofbread.com"

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