The private-equity fund Savory has added a new concept to its portfolio.
The three-unit bakery-cafe chain Bonrue Bakery announced Wednesday it has been acquired by the Lehi, Utah-based fund, which also owns a number of other restaurant brands, including the beverage concept Swig, the Hawaiian fast-casual Mo’ Bettahs, and the acai chain South Block.
Terms were not disclosed, but the co-founders who lead the boutique bakery concept will remain at the helm. The plan is to open more locations across Utah that will be company owned, and then look beyond Utah once the chain is established. There are no plans to franchise.
Chris Connors and Li Hsun Sun have tapped pastry chefs and bakers who come from the fine-dining world to build the chain. The team includes Marie Yonge as head pastry chef, who trained under Alain Ducasse, Gordon Ramsay and Michael Mina. Head Baker Benjamin Garcia spent 14 years at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro.
And another co-founder, Chris Herrin, who died just months after the first location opened, was also an executive pastry chef at Bouchon and a former member of the team at Keller’s higher-end restaurant The French Laundry.
Bonrue was initially born as Farmstead in 2021 in St. George, Utah. But the partners couldn’t obtain the trademark, so they changed the name to Bonrue Bakery. The menu of cakes, pies, pastries and sandwiches and house-roasted coffee carried on, however, and the brand is now positioned for growth.
The chain boasts a speed of service unusual in the bakery cafe world, saying it can move more than 100 guests through the line in less than 10 minutes.
What sets the brand apart is its ability to “delivery that quality with speed, heart and hospitality,” said Andrew K. Smith, Savory Fund’s co-founder and managing director, in a statement.
“Bonrue is a rare and remarkable blend of craft and efficiency,” he said. “The talent behind this brand is nothing short of extraordinary—chefs trained in some of the world’s most prestigious kitchens, now bringing that level of precision and artistry to a local bakery in Southern Utah.”
This would not be the first bakery brand for Smith.
He and his wife Shauna Smith were master franchisees of the Kneaders Bakery & Cafe concept before launching Savory Fund in 2020.
Connors, in an interview with Restaurant Business, said their first meeting with the Smiths “was like talking to a best friend. These guys understand exactly what we’re going through.”
Bonrue Bakery co-founders Li Hsun Sun (left) and Chris Connors. | Photo courtesy of Bonrue Bakery.
Bonrue is known for the quality of product, from European-style pastries like the kouign amann (the best seller) to a BLT with mozzarella and pesto mayo on a baguette.
There are no substitutions, which ensures speed. “Our menu is our display case,” said Connors. “If you’re on a lunch break and you only have 30 minutes, we’re a perfect solution. You can get a sandwich, pastry and drink and be out the door for less than $20.”
Bonrue also uses a commissary kitchen model that will allow for more efficient growth. Currently there’s a production facility in Southern Utah serving the three units, but Connors said the company plans to open a larger warehouse that will allow daily delivery to units as they grow in Northern Utah. A warehouse will be able to support about 10 units, he said.
The pastries, bread and other products made in the central facilities will be made fresh daily and not delivered frozen, as is the practice by many other bakery chains.
“We don’t do that,” said Connors. “That’s the reason logistically our warehouse would only serve 10 locations.”
A new generation of bakeries is booming in the U.S., with independent bakeries popping up across the country. But global brands like the 197-unit Paris Baguette and 150-unit Tous Les Jours also saw sales up in 2024. Paris Baguette was up nearly 31% in domestic sales, and Tous Les Jours was up 27%, according to Restaurant Business sister-brand Technomic’s Top 500 restaurant chain data.
Connors said bakeries like Bonrue are being embraced because of the quality of product.
“And, at the end of the day, it comes down to value. People want value,” he said.
Savory Fund’s other investments include R&R BBQ, Pincho, Via 313 Pizzeria, 86 Repairs, Saigon Hustle, Hash Kitchen, The Sicilian Butcher and Houston TX Hot Chicken.
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