Atlanta Bread Company Essay, Research Paper

Justin Weigt

Into to Business

10-24-00

I researched my own place of employment, which was the Atlanta Bread Company. Atlanta Bread Company is located in Batavia at 207 Randall Rd. I was very lucky because my managers are also the owners. Their names are Robert and Claudia Curtis. They are married and they are responsible for opening and operating the store. They are the ones making the decisions and selecting the suppliers and contractors. Atlanta Bread Company is a ?Restaurant Concept,? not conceded fast food because there is no grease involved. It is a deli / bakery, that has a comfortable feel along with soft classical music and a fireplace in the center.

The owners not consider themselves entrepreneurs for merely making a good business decision. Both owners have degrees in business. Robert has many degrees and has and extensive business experience. He earned his BA at McGill University, his MBA at Columbia University and his PhD at UCLA. Robert was most recently a Group president of European Operations, and a Group president of DeKalb Genetics.

Claudia received her MBA from UCLA, her MS from NIU and her BS degree from WIU. She was an instructor at the university level in Vienna, Austria. She was an Executive Director at Del Amo Hospital, (which is a Psychiatric Hospital). She also worked in healthcare management to in Beverly Hill, CA in Corporate Planning Development, marketing, and Human Resource Administration.

The Atlanta Bread Company has been open for 8 months. The owners decided to open this company because they like the products and felt it was a good business concept. In is part of a franchise, which is based out of Atlanta GA. Robert And Claudia split responsibilities in half, which would let Robert focuses on financial aspects and the planning while Claudia manages the day-to-day operations of the company. They decided to split duties this way because they did not want to get mad at each other about business decisions because they come from different perspectives. Claudia is the one in charge of the hiring and firing of the employees. I asked her what is the best way to fire a person. She said to confront the person with a series of choices, and let then decide. This is their first store and the second store will be operational in 6 months.

There are positives and negatives with being a part of a franchise. One of the Positives is nationally contacted suppliers. This helps because you don?t have to spend time and money to find the right supplier for your company. The Atlanta Bread Company?s two major suppliers are Sysco Food and Atlanta Bread Commissary, which are bakery products. Another positive for the company is the standardization of marketing, promotional and operational materials. The Biggest negative they have found is that some of the rules they set are not necessary at the local level. An example of that would be; that all company shirts need to be tucked in at all times. Claudia prefers to focus on the shirts being clean and employee comfort.

The Atlanta Bread Company?s biggest competitor is Panera Bread Company in Geneva, IL. They believe that Atlanta Bread Company is a better quality store. Atlanta Bread Company is cleaner, has a well trained staff is knowledgeable about products and great customer service. A Dislike about the competitors is that they have an established reputation in the local area and the location of their store. Atlanta Bread Company faces the Kohl?s and has its back to Randall Rd. Panera Bread faces Randall, which has so much more traffic.

Atlanta Bread Company?s revenue has increased since the opening and has steadily stabilizing over time. They use free soup coupons with a purchase and 15-dollar coupons from the local WBIG at 1280 radio station under a barter contract. 60 to 70% of Atlanta Bread Company?s diners choose to spend between $6.20 and $6.50 on average. At Atlantabread.com they make a bold statement that the franchise is the fastest growing restaurant concept ever. Robert and Claudia both agree with this. They both think it is because of the great food, the relaxing atmosphere, and the customer service. Basil and Jerry Couvaras. The franchise owners tell Restaurant Hospitality that ? it?s a perfect neighborhood eatery,? Atlanta Bread Company units offer fresh, high-quality ingredients with quick service in a European caf?-like setting. The design exemplifies the company?s credo, ?Time Well Spent.? The Franchising program has earned kudos throughout the industry, including the eight spot on Entrepreneur magazine?s top new franchises list this past January.

In conclusion Atlanta Bread Company is a great place to spend your time. Robert and Claudia are very nice and well educated in the field of business; I take pleasure to work them.

Justin Weigt