Spicy Pickle fast casual restaurants, Denver, opened Crumb Rustic Bakery, its new corporate baking facility. The bakery produces the company's artisan breads and gourmet cookies for the 19 Spicy Pickle locations in the greater Denver and central Colorado areas.

Crumb Rustic Bakery is located next door to Spicy Pickle's new company-owned restaurant, which serves a variety of subs and panini sandwiches, fresh salads, Neapolitan-style thin crust pizzas, cookies and the company's signature spicy pickles. The bakery also will serve as a training facility for Spicy Pickle franchisees and managers from around the country.

“As Spicy Pickle has grown, the ability to tailor its resources has grown as well,” said Kevin Morrison, chief culinary officer for Spicy Pickle. “Our exacting standards for breads and other baked goods will be met better than ever before by Crumb Rustic. With an in-house facility, we can ensure consistent quality for our full array of focaccia and ciabatta breads every single day.”

The company is bringing its baking in-house for better quality control and to differentiate its sandwiches from other bakery cafes and quick casual restaurants.

“As the foundation of any great sandwich, Spicy Pickle's bread is an essential element of our success,” Morrison said. “For all of our famous exotic meats and toppings, everyone comments on the quality of our breads. We're incredibly excited to be able to take this process in-house and control every step.”

Retail possibilities

Although Crumb Rustic Bakery will initially service only Spicy Pickle's Colorado restaurants, the company hopes to sell its freshly baked breads and sweet treats directly to the public in the future. Possible retail alternatives include a storefront or local farmers markets.

Crumb Rustic Bakery's primary production includes Spicy Pickle's rosemary focaccia, white and honey wheat-oat ciabatta breads; chocolate chip cookies; and Chippers, Spicy Pickle's exclusive cookie treats featuring chocolate chips, granola, walnuts and almonds.