Aspire Bakeries is permanently closing its two La Brea Bakery Cafes and turning its attention to the grocery channel. The company said it made the strategic decision to exit the restaurant sector and continue to focus on growing the La Brea Bakery business through retail grocery and foodservice locations.
Impacted locations included the flagship La Brea Bakery Café in Los Angeles and the café at Downtown Disney District in Anaheim, Calif.
“We are so thankful and hold a tremendous amount of appreciation for our employees, and for our customers who have frequented La Brea Bakery Café over the years,” says Tyson Yu, chief executive officer of Aspire Bakeries. “Our flagship cafe location on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles is where the La Brea Bakery magic started 34 years ago. These humble beginnings are an integral part of the brand history, and we will forever be grateful to the local community for their support over the years.
“While we will no longer be operating the cafes in Los Angeles or at Disneyland Resort, you can still find our delicious La Brea Bakery artisan bread in your local grocery in-store bakery and at other locations that serve artisan bread.”
The company says the franchised La Brea Bakery kiosks in the Reno International Airport (Nevada) and JFK Airport (New York) will remain open.
Employees at the Los Angeles and Downtown Disney Café locations were informed of the closures January 9. The company says Aspire Bakeries human resources team began working directly with employees that were impacted by the closures to ease the transition.
