Ardor Breads and Provisions opened in May 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to grip the nation. Despite this, Ryan Smith, manager at Ardor, said the bakery had seen a “steady rise” in business since its inception.
Smith attributes Ardor’s continued growth to multiple factors. He said the company was able to adapt and offer new services as time went on. Additionally, Smith said Ardor has received strong support from those in the community.
“We have a really devout, really really good, core group of patrons who visit us, you know, several times a week,” Smith said. “There are people who come there every day and work here. We see the same people at the market every Saturday.”
Along with regular customers, Smith said Ardor continues to meet new customers every day.
Of course, Smith said Ardor has experienced “ups and downs” like other businesses. Smith said work stoppages related to COVID-19 prevented the company from completing the final steps with the health department. This delayed the planned opening, which was originally planned for the end of February or the beginning of March 2020.
Still, when Ardor was able to open its doors, Smith said there was “a line around the block.”
Business has been going so well, in fact, that the bakery has extended its hours to Mondays starting August 8th. Ardor is now open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day of the week.
“The idea of being open seven days where anyone can come in any day of the week and be able to get fresh bread, fresh baguettes, fresh sourdough, fresh croissants has always been the initial plan,” Smith said.
Smith said only three people worked at Ardor when he started, so the business was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays to give staff time to rest and recover. Since then, he said, the bakery has been able to hire additional employees and slowly extend its working hours.
For Smith, the new hours should be concise and easy for customers to remember. He said the new and consistent schedule will also benefit Ardor’s baking team.
“You always work like a day ahead [as a baker],” Smith said. “You shape the croissants for the next day. You are making bread for the next day. So, that one day when we were closed, we always slipped into a routine.”
In Ardor, customers can order freshly baked sourdough. Smith said another staple is Ardor’s “Morning Muffin,” which he said is a spin on a classic Midwestern dish called Monkey Bread. Smith said the morning muffin is made by tearing off a piece of croissant, sprinkling it with orange zest and sugar and baking it in a muffin shape.
Smith said Ardor Bakery and Provisions also serves coffee from Stumptown Coffee Roasters with homemade syrups and unique flavors. Flavor options include burnt honey and lavender, white chocolate and toasted fennel seed, and maple and rosemary.
“So there’s a different kind of playfulness that we can do with coffee that I think makes us a little bit different from the traditional kind of coffee shop,” Smith said.
As time went on and demand grew, Smith said Ardor grew to include a more extensive food menu and wholesale. He said that right now the bakery is working on incorporating fresh local vegetables into its menu.
Last year, Ardor also announced plans to expand, as reported by the Journal Star. More than a year later, the expansion is still a work in progress, and Smith said he could not give an estimate of when it would be completed.
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Until then, guests can keep an eye out for Ardour After Dark events. Smith said the events allow the company to highlight and experiment with the variety of foods that can be offered in the new space. Right now, Smith said he envisions a connected location serving “seasonal, hearth-cooked cuisine” in an expanded space.
Given how business has been going in the current space, Smith said he doesn’t mind the wait.
“We’re doing really well as we are now,” Smith said. “It would be one thing if we had to open it by a certain date, but you know, we can take our time and really get it where we want it before we open it.”
Connect with Cassidy Waigand by emailing her at CWaigand@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter at @justxaxwriter.
Ardor Breads and Provisions
