Boudin SF tests self-serve kiosks, mobile app

Boudin SF is testing self-serve kiosks and will soon introduce a new application that ties mobile ordering capabilities to its loyalty program.

Ten-unit Boudin SF is the growth vehicle of San Francisco’s 164-year-old Boudin Bakery, believed to be one of the oldest continually operating businesses in the city.

Company officials call the forthcoming technology a unique “mix of old and new” that is bringing the storied brand into the future, said Dave Wolfgram, chief executive of San Francisco-based Boudin Holdings Inc.

Boudin SF already uses digital menu boards, and customers can place orders via smartphone or online. The new app, scheduled to debut in a few weeks, will let guests with Android phones or iPhones seamlessly order and pay, and earn rewards through the loyalty program.

Loyalty members can also earn rewards such as a free loaf of bread each month with the app, and the company can reach out with special offers, Wolfgram said.

The self-serve kiosks, which are being tested in two locations, offer a user experience similar to the mobile app, Wolfgram said. If they are deemed to improve both throughput and guest experience, they may be rolled out systemwide.

“It’s a real nice blend of old and new,” he said. “On one side, you’re watching them mix, shape and bake bread, as they have for 160 years, while you’re ordering on a self-service kiosk.”

Boudin is defined by its sourdough bread, still made as it was when it was founded in 1849, with only flour, water and salt, and leavened with wild yeast from a long-cultivated “mother starter.” The starter has been nurtured through the years — it was even rescued in a bucket by Boudin family members during the great earthquake and fire of San Francisco in 1906.

The company operates a flagship bakery facility and bistro on San Francisco’s iconic Fisherman’s Wharf, as well as 12 legacy bakery-café locations around the city. In 2006, the “Boudin of the future” was developed into the growth-oriented Boudin SF concept, Wolfgram said.

The contemporary fast-casual concept, Boudin SF, was designed to stand out from the crowded bakery-café segment and bring the bread-making process back into the neighborhoods, according to Wolfgram. The chain is being developed in clusters of three or four that are served by “mother stores,” where bread is mixed, shaped and baked daily. Those mother stores display the bread baking process behind plate glass windows, so guests can watch as they wait to order.

While some bakery-café concepts bake bread in house, those loaves typically come from pre-mixed and formed dough that is shipped frozen, Wolfgram said. Boudin SF is one of few concepts that conducts the entire bread-baking process in restaurants, from mixing and shaping to baking. The mother stores deliver freshly baked loaves throughout the day to nearby locations.

In addition, Boudin SF is one of few concepts that have focused on building dinner business, in addition to the more traditional breakfast and lunch, Wolfgram said. Boudin SF’s dinner menu includes hot dishes like premium burgers served on baguettes, soups and chili, as well as salads and sandwiches on white or multigrain sourdough bread. The concept also serves beer and wine.

Wolfgram said dinner accounts for a little more than 30 percent of sales, lunch for 55 percent and breakfast for 15 percent of sales.

The company plans to open six to eight Boudin SF locations this year, including one that recently opened in Cupertino, Calif. Next year it plans to open 12 to 14 restaurants in California. The company is also considering a franchising program.

Boudin Bakeries is owned by San Francisco-based private-equity group GESD Capital Partners LLC. After deciding to accelerate Boudin SF’s growth, GESD sold the Go Roma fast-casual Italian chain, once a sister brand of Boudin Bakeries, to DiNella Hospitality last year.

Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].
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