Join the Retail Bakers of America (RBA) for a panel-style webinar on what it takes to scale a retail bakery beyond one location. Panelists will discuss the operational realities of growth and their business expansion journeys, covering staffing across sites, developing managers who can run a location independently, building systems that hold up as you expand, and maintaining the quality and culture of your business.
Panelists:
Michael Sertich is a hands-on multi-unit foodservice operator who has grown from a single location to 17 locations across two brands.
He opened his first Jimmy John’s in 2014 and scaled to three locations by 2019. That same year he launched his multi-brand journey with his first BIGGBY Coffee franchise. Through a mix of new construction and strategic acquisitions, Michael has expanded from four units at the end of 2019 to 17 locations today (12 Jimmy John’s and 5 BIGGBY Coffee), with more in development.
He has built scalable systems for staffing multiple locations, developing strong general managers, maintaining consistent operations and culture across concepts, and driving performance in a multi-unit environment. A Cornell University Master of Management in Hospitality graduate, Michael brings both deep practical expertise and strategic insight to the challenges of growth.
Michael is excited to share the real-world lessons he’s learned about team building, systems creation, and organizational scaling with other operators looking to grow their businesses.
Anthony DiNardo is the owner of Henri's Bakery & Deli, a beloved Atlanta-area institution with seven locations. As a child, Anthony watched his mother, aunts, and uncle own and operate Henri's and knew that one day he would buy the family business. He purchased Henri's in 2016 and has since grown it from two locations to seven, overseeing the build-out of a 10,000-square-foot commissary and acquiring a wholesale bread company to expand production capacity. He knows firsthand what it takes to scale a retail bakery without sacrificing quality or consistency. Anthony is the Board President of the Retail Bakers of America.
Michelle Doyon is the founder of Michelle's Patisserie, an Austin-based bakery specializing in custom cakes, French pastries, and desserts, with two locations in the Austin metro area.
Michelle started Michelle's Patisserie in 2002 out of a converted garage kitchen, working from home for seven years before opening her first storefront, where she has operated for over 16 years. She trained as a pastry cook in San Francisco under Traci des Jardin of Jardiniere before returning to Texas, and has since built Michelle's Patisserie into one of Austin's top wedding cake bakeries. In January 2024, she opened her second location in Liberty Hill, converting a historic house into a full-service bakery storefront offering French pastries, croissants, cakes, and afternoon tea service.
Michelle brings firsthand experience in scaling a specialty bakery business, from building out a commercial kitchen and production capacity to maintaining product quality and brand identity across multiple sites. She also rents her original commercial kitchen to other women launching culinary businesses, giving her additional insight into the operational side of bakery growth beyond her own locations.
Pricing: FREE for RBA Members / $30 for non-members
Click "More information" below to register for the webinar.