Dawn Castro
The Valdosta Daily Times
VALDOSTA —
If you thought Atlanta Bread Company was your run of the mill sandwich shop, you couldn’t be more wrong.
The locally owned establishment offers more than soups, sandwiches and salads. It strives on stimulating the needs of its customers.
To begin, the company’s leaders said they know the importance of keeping up with the times. The restaurant recently went under the knife. ABC Vice President of Operations Ricky Dollar said the time had come for changes to be made.
“Last year, we totally gutted out the interior except for the kitchen,” Dollar said. “About three weeks ago, we gave the outside a face lift as well. We want to keep things fresh and keep enhancing the community. In the restaurant business, you have to stay modern to compete with your competitors ... and keep up with the trends.”
Dollar added that the earth-tone colors were chosen by the company for all ABC franchises.
Another important detail Dollar mentioned was the importance of being mindful of the business flow in today’s economic downturn. Currently, the restaurant is offering a $5.99 ABC special to Georgia Military and Valdosta State University students and faculty, and every Friday morning between opening and 10 a.m., free coffee is provided to all customers.
Tim Tillman, general manager, said another bonus you don’t see at some other establishments is ABC’s version of family night. This is no ordinary family night when your kids eat free, this family night includes much more.
“On Thursday nights, not only do the kids eat free with an adult from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., but we also bring in characters for them,” Tillman said. “We’ve had Scooby Doo here, Sponge Bob SquarePants and the Easter Bunny. We have roughly 100 kids who come through on Thursday nights.”
Dollar also made note that the parents can’t just drop off their children, but while they are enjoying some “relaxation” time, the kids are being entertained by kid coordinators who are specifically there for them.
“It really is like a kids’ club,” Tillman said. “There is a section set up just for them, and they love it.”
The Valdosta ABC was built in 1997. To date, there are only two in the state of Georgia, the other being in Savannah. If you are a fan of the company and are traveling outside of Georgia, don’t despair, there are about 100 franchises throughout the United States.
Jeff Evans, district manager of ABC, oversees the Valdosta branch as well as the Savannah one, and said he really wants to emphasize the restaurant is not simply a bakery or cafe.
“We are a bakery cafe with several varieties of soups (featuring about six to seven daily), salads and sandwiches. We feature different ones throughout the week. Right now, the feature sandwich is the Roast Beef Panini with Brie cheese and South African pepper, and our feature salad is the Brie and Chardonnay salad.”
Dollar also said the restaurant is not a bread shop, but they are known for their eight varieties of fresh baked bread which are available for purchase.
“You won’t get day-old bread here,” he said, “Our bread is baked fresh every night, throughout the night.”
The establishment is definitely not wasteful of their fresh baked breads, whatever is not sold during that day’s business, is donated to local charities.
Atlanta Bread Company is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Tillman said, unlike some other restaurants, a person can order whatever is on the menu any time of the day, and it’s all made fresh to order.
Some popular items on that menu are the chicken pesto and chicken salad sandwiches as well as ABC’s very own brand of coffee, cappuccinos, lattes and smoothies.
Evans said the company’s success comes from the dedicated workers and team effort.
“We really do work together as a team,” he said. “There are no egos here. Our top priority is making our guests happy.”
Part of that happiness is trying not to ever say the word “no” to a customer. Dollar said they do whatever is humanly possible to please the customers and in turn the customers keep coming back.
“We get to know them, and they get to know our staff,” he said. “We don’t have the turnover that some other companies have. When people are hired here, they usually stick around for a long time.”
When hopefuls are looking to be a part of the ABC family, they are taught the six steps to giving great service:
Cleanliness, friendliness, accuracy, availability, willingness to fix problems, and knowledge. There is no excuse to not committing these six steps to heart because they are printed on the back of each name badge.
Dollar said he believes they truly have some of the best employees in Valdosta.
The service and food are not the only things keeping patrons returning to the restaurant. College student Nathan Cohen and his friend, Suzanne Chafin, utilize the restaurant’s Wi-Fi while enjoying the company of others.
“It’s a great meeting place,” Chafin said. “It’s in a centralized part of town so everyone knows where it is.”
Cohen said he really enjoys the restaurant’s bagels. When asked if he would recommend the establishment to family and friends, he said there really is no need because they “already come here a lot.”
Chafin said she has been to the restaurant both in the morning as well as the afternoon, and her favorite sandwich to eat is the Chicken Waldroff.
Dollar said they (ABC) are truly set apart from others.
“We just have a special niche here at Atlanta Bread,” he said, “We try to fit everyone’s needs. There are different sections to our restaurant for family dining or group meetings. We also do offsite catering for purchases of $50 or more. We have plenty of parking in the back, so that’s never an issue. And when people come here, we want to meet their expectations and hear them say, ‘I’ll be back.’”
Atlanta Bread Company is located at 1531 Baytree Road. More information: Call (229) 259-9969
