In the RBA Board Member Spotlight series, we'll be profiling valued members of the Retail Bakers of America board.

Henri’s Bakery & Deli is an Atlanta, GA institution founded in 1929 by French pastry chef Henri Fiscus. Henri’s has long been cherished for its commitment to quality and community. Now in its fourth generation of family ownership, the bakery and deli continues to grow under the leadership of Anthony DiNardo, who took over the reins with his sisters in 2016. The bakery’s legacy, built on its founder’s classic recipes and generous spirit, provides the foundation for its evolution into a modern, multi-location enterprise.

We sat down with Anthony DiNardo to discuss his approach to leadership, balancing tradition with growth, and what the future holds for this iconic bakery.

What inspired you to take over the family business?

“I didn’t grow up around the business much,” he shared, noting that in his youth his family lived about 40 minutes away, limiting his exposure to the day-to-day operations. Although he occasionally worked during the holidays, it wasn’t until college and his early career in sales and management that he began to fully appreciate Henri’s reputation.

“As I got older, I started hearing people talk about Henri’s—sharing their experiences and what it meant to them. That’s when I realized the value of the brand and the legacy behind it,” Anthony explained. With a strong desire to go into business for himself, he saw an incredible opportunity to take the well-known family brand and build upon its success. “That’s what really drew me in—the chance to take something with so much history and do something meaningful with it.”

How has the business evolved under your leadership?

“When taking over Henri’s, the business operated two locations, but one of the locations was torn down about 90 days after I bought the business,” he explained. That location also housed the bakery’s main production space, creating an immediate challenge.

“I had to quickly come up with a solution,” Anthony shared. This meant renting a small space for baking operations and setting up a temporary store to maintain the customer base in the area where the original building had been torn down. At the same time, he began working on a new Buckhead location and a dedicated commissary kitchen. “I couldn’t start any of this before buying the business because I wasn’t going to sign a lease until I knew it was mine,” he noted.

Since those early days, Henri’s has experienced significant expansion. “We now have five stores across Atlanta, and a sixth is on the way in Clayton, Georgia, set to open in January,” he said. In addition to the bakery’s growth, Anthony recently purchased a pizza restaurant, with plans for a seventh location in the future.

Is franchising part of the long-term vision for the business?

"We bought a wholesale bakery that allowed us to get a larger capacity for our commissary kitchen. We were running out of space," Anthony explains. With this infrastructure in place, the business is poised to grow to seven or eight stores. Beyond that milestone, Anthony envisions re-evaluating the business’s direction to determine its long-term path. However, franchising isn’t currently a part of Anthony’s immediate plans for Henri’s Bakery. 

How has being an RBA member impacted the business? 

"It's been a community where, when I have questions specific to the baking side of things, I can go pose a question and get feedback," he said.  Anthony explained that, coming from a business background rather than a baking one, he initially approached the industry with a different perspective. He noted that joining the Retail Bakers of America (RBA) has been a "valuable resource" for him. Their support has allowed him to bring solutions back to his team and solve problems more effectively, ultimately benefiting the business.

What financial tips would you share for bakers looking to expand? Any tips on how to find funding? 

When considering expansion, Anthony highlights the Small Business Administration (SBA) as a key resource, calling it "probably the most business-friendly place to look for financing." He credits the SBA for helping him secure his first loan to purchase the business and the real estate for their commissary kitchen, achieved through a partnership with a local bank.

For bakers seeking guidance, Anthony suggests reaching out to small business development centers, noting that “they may have some local resources to help if needed.” These centers are typically found in larger cities and can provide helpful advice and connections for small business owners.

He also emphasizes the importance of reinvesting profits rather than withdrawing them. "Honestly, a lot of it is reinvesting in the business as opposed to taking too much money out of it," he explains. By keeping funds within the business, Anthony has been able to fuel growth without taking on additional outside capital, aside from bank loans. His philosophy is to build steadily with the hope that, “one day we get to where we want to be and then we can go from there.”

What’s your approach to staffing and retention? 

“I try to invest in staff for where we’re going, as opposed to where we are or where we’ve gotten to,” Anthony shares. He explains that by anticipating future growth needs and hiring accordingly, he has been able to avoid disruptions in the business as it expands.

He emphasizes that investing in people is a top priority. “If you’re going to invest in something, people are probably the number one thing,” he says. This forward-thinking approach has allowed him to maintain a steady pace of growth while ensuring that the team is always prepared for the demands ahead.

Can you talk a little more about your lines of business?

"The bakery portion of our business is about 35-40%, the deli is around 50%, and catering makes up about 15% of our overall business." Anthony explains that the bakery offers a range of products, but the deli has become a significant part of their operations, providing sandwiches, breakfast items, and salads. The catering side of the business has also grown substantially in recent years, handling everything from office lunches to large-scale events, such as the Super Bowl and the PGA Tour at East Lake Golf Tournament.

“We’ve really focused on growing our catering side,” Anthony shares, noting that the business now handles large orders but still focuses on local office lunches and small-scale events. These offerings include sandwich trays, lunch boxes, and petit fours.

When it comes to customer acquisition, Anthony mentions using platforms like EasyCater and Uber Eats, but he emphasizes the considerable costs associated with them. Instead, the business focuses on building and nurturing relationships with existing customers, remarketing to them via social media, email, and follow-up phone calls. This approach has been highly successful, leading to a five-fold increase in their catering business over the past three years. Looking ahead, catering remains a top priority for growth in 2025.

What advice would you give to someone new who wants to expand?

"I'm a big believer in centralizing production to help offset labor costs and help with efficiencies," he says. This approach has worked for his business, though he acknowledges that it might not suit every business model.

For those looking to diversify, Anthony strongly recommends adding savory items alongside baked goods. Offering sandwiches, salads, and similar items creates more opportunities for repeat business. As he explains, in today’s health-conscious world, people may not indulge in cinnamon rolls every day, but they’re more likely to have lunch regularly, which keeps customers coming back for more.

"I think just doing baked goods from a retail standpoint would be really, really hard for us to make it," says Anthony, reflecting on the challenges of expanding a business. He advises that before pursuing growth, it’s crucial to ensure that it’s the right decision. Expanding from one to two locations, and then from two to three, is often the most difficult part of the journey. Once you’ve established a few locations and solidified processes, expansion becomes more manageable, allowing you to replicate success and fine-tune operations without starting from scratch.

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Current RBA members, email Marlene O’ Connell (marlene@retailbakersofsmerica.org) to learn how you can be featured in an upcoming member spotlight.