Great Harvest Bread Co., a bakery cafe franchise known for serving the finest quality specialty bread, announced today it has signed five franchise agreements with new and existing Great Harvest franchisees. These entrepreneurs will soon be opening and/or expanding in the following markets: Walt and Ellie Legits (Grand Junction, Colo.), Praveen and Prajna Munipalle (Northern Dallas), Nimesh and Natasha Patel (Long Island, N.Y.), Lacey and Brian Loveless (Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Okla.), and Michele Ellis (Red Bank and Asbury Park, N.J.)

Great Harvest's unique franchise model allows entrepreneurs to choose between owning a single bakery cafe or a cost effective Hub & Spoke model, built for multi-unit owners. The hub and spoke model allows owners to cover more territory and serve as their own supply chain with a central bakery cafe supplying fresh bread throughout the day to the cafe-only locations, in surrounding communities.

"We're continuing to see franchise owners seek out the hub and spoke model, as it is the most efficient way to out-bake and out-localize the competition in high-traffic areas with as little as 1,500 square feet," said Great Harvest Bread Chairman and CEO Mike Ferretti. "Additionally, with new Great Harvest locations, each owner is able to make it their own with our freedom franchise, which lets franchisees choose their own design, décor, menu selection and even set their own pricing and localize their marketing efforts."

Great Harvest knows that cookie cutter franchises are not what communities need. Each of these neighborhoods will soon have a hub or spoke with their own unique style and menu that matches the community's vibe and desired taste. Great Harvest is an investment opportunity that lets the owner decide how turnkey they want the process to be and lets franchisees call their own shots.

Here is more information about each of the new and existing Great Harvest franchisees:

• Walt and Ellie Legits (Grand Junction, Colo.) – After two years of owning an existing Great Harvest bakery in Grand Junction, they are now in the process of opening their first spoke to expand in the market. They always envisioned growing through the hub and spoke model, which is what initially drew them to the franchise.
• Praveen and Prajna Munipalle (Northern Dallas) – This entrepreneurial couple has joined the Great Harvest franchise with plans to open one hub location and three spoke cafes over the next five years. As a family-owned business, they are looking to diversify and develop a business for their family's future.
• Nimesh and Natasha Patel (Long Island, N.Y.) – After experiencing Great Harvest for themselves, this husband and wife team fell in love with the product and knew they had to be the first to introduce it to the Long Island market. Over the next several years, they will be opening a bakery cafe hub and two spokes. The couple is diversifying their extensive business portfolio as they own several hotels in New York, Georgia and Florida.
• Lacey and Brian Loveless (Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Okla.) – Looking to move back to Tulsa, the couple has purchased an existing Great Harvest location with plans to open a second spoke in a few years. Coming from the veterinary industry, the Loveless family wanted to utilize the benefits of a franchise system to guide them through their career transition.
• Michele Ellis (Red Bank and Asbury Park, N.J.) – Using her background in consumer marketing and retail development, Ellis is looking forward to putting her own spin on her bakery cafe location over the next few years.

Dubbed "Bread Heaven" by fanatic customers since 1976, Great Harvest bakes bread from scratch with whole grains milled right on the premises. Along with the finest bread around, Great Harvest offers sandwiches, grain bowls, salads, pastries and more to serve up a tasty meal for anytime of the day.

To learn more about the Great Harvest hub and spoke model, check out the blog or download the franchise information packet.

About Great Harvest Bread Company

Great Harvest Bread has spent the past 40 years perfecting the combination of ingredients to make the freshest and authentic breads and pastries, as well as the newer sandwiches, grain bowls and soups, growing to nearly 200 locations, all of which continue to mill their own Golden Triangle wheat every morning from scratch. Providing local communities with authentic breads and pastries made fresh daily, the brand is now growing through franchising with a new bakery-cafe model ideal for multi-unit ownership. Open during three parts of the day—breakfast, lunch and dinner— the menu has grown beyond a wide variety of soft, delicious breads to include soups, sandwiches and grain bowls. To learn about franchising opportunities with Great Harvest Bread Company, go to https://www.greatharvest.com/franchise.