Tatte Bakery & Café

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Tatte Bakery & Café
IndustryFast casual restaurant, café, bakery
Founded2007; 17 years ago (2007) in Boston
FounderTzurit Or
HeadquartersCambridge, Massachusetts
Area served
Key people
  • Chuck Chapman (CEO)
  • Tzurit Or (Chief Creative Officer)

Tatte Bakery & Café is an American-Mediterranean gourmet fast-casual bakery and café founded by Israeli-born Tzurit Or. Tatte operates 35 locations, most in the Boston area, with the remainder in the metro D.C. region.[1][2]

History[edit]

Tzurit Or, a former film producer who immigrated from Israel to the United States in 2003, began baking family recipes in her kitchen, first selling them in 2007 at the Copley Square Farmer's Market in Boston, Massachusetts.[3] She baked for 20 hours a day to keep up with the demand.[4]

After one summer at the farmer's market, in May 2008 she opened her first brick and mortar storefront, Tatte Fine Cookies & Cakes in the Brookline neighborhood.[5][6][7] In the coming years, Or began expanding into the greater Boston area. She expanded into the Kendall Square neighborhood of Cambridge in 2012, opening three locations there in two years.[6][8] Or's fifth storefront opened in 2015 on Beacon Hill's historic Charles Street, the first Tatte location in Boston proper.[9] After opening a spacious Harvard Square location in 2016, Or began ramping up expansion in the Boston area.[10] Tatte expanded into downtown Boston in 2019 with its Summer Street location, followed by a location at One Boston Place.[11]

Ron Shaich, then CEO of Panera Bread, purchased over 50% ownership of Tatte in 2016.[12] After Shaich parted ways with Panera, he bought Panera's stake in Tatte and continues to be a lead investor.[13][14] Despite Shaich's majority stake, Tatte continues to operate as an independent company.[15] Or stepped down as CEO in July 2020 following discrimination complaints,[16][17] but still remains involved in operations and serves as its chief baker.[3]

Tatte opened its first Washington, D.C. bakery in August 2020, located in the West End neighborhood,[18] subsequently expanding into Dupont Circle,[19] then into D.C. suburbs Bethesda, Maryland and Arlington, Virginia.[20]

Food[edit]

Tatte's chickpea and fava plate.

Name[edit]

Or's daughter inspired the business' name. Although Tatte – which rhymes with "latte" – means "daddy" in Yiddish, young Hebrew speakers often say "tatte" in place of the Hebrew word for grandmother, "savta." While Or was working on her farmer's market stand logo, her young daughter said "tatte" out loud when looking at a photo of her grandmother, which led Or to name her farmer's market stand "Tatte."[3]

Current locations[edit]

  • Tatte location in Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.
    Tatte location in Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.
  • Tatte in Boston, Ink Block
    Tatte in Boston, Ink Block

Tatte's 24 Boston area stores are located in Arlington, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Newton, and Wellesley.[21] Tatte also has locations on the campuses of three colleges in the city of Boston: Berklee College of Music, Emerson College, and Northeastern University.[22][23][24]

Tatte's Washington, D.C. area stores include locations in West End, Dupont Circle, and Foggy Bottom, as well as Bethesda and Arlington.[25] As of December 2023, Tatte has 11 locations in Washington, D.C. and nearby suburbs.[25]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Our Locations". Tatte Bakery and Cafe. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  2. ^ "Tatte Bakery & Café Review - Boston Massachusetts - Restaurant | Fodor's Travel". www.fodors.com. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  3. ^ a b c Deutch, Gabby (2022-08-08). "The kibbutznik behind D.C.'s hottest new Israeli café". Jewish Insider. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  4. ^ "Tzurit Or, Founder of Tatte Bakery & Café, to Speak to the Beacon Hill Women's Forum – Beacon Hill Times". beaconhilltimes.com. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  5. ^ "Tatte now has a dozen locations in the Boston area. Where to next?". www.boston.com. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  6. ^ a b Travers, Rachel (May 23, 2012). "Tatte opens in Kendall Square food mecca". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  7. ^ "Tatte Bakery & Cafe - Boston". Tatte Bakery and Cafe. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  8. ^ Kagan, Aaron (2012-12-19). "Confirmed: Tatte Bakery & Café Is Expanding Again". Eater Boston. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  9. ^ Cain, Jacqueline (2015-03-02). "Tatte Bakery to Open In Beacon Hill Tomorrow". Eater Boston. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  10. ^ Hatic, Dana (2019-01-07). "Tatte Bakery & Cafe Expansion Continues With Downtown Boston Opening". Eater Boston. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  11. ^ Hatic, Dana (2019-03-25). "Tatte's Bakery Dominance Continues With Another Downtown Cafe". Eater Boston. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  12. ^ Soroff, Jonathan (2019-11-12). "The Interview: Panera Bread Founder and Tatte Investor Ron Shaich". Boston Magazine. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  13. ^ "Shaich's Stake in Tatte: Ex-Panera CEO's Value-Based Investing Paradigm | Arts | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  14. ^ "About Ron Shaich". www.act3holdings.com. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  15. ^ Hatic, Dana (2016-02-10). "Panera Bread Has Acquired a Majority Stake in Tatte Bakery [UPDATED]". Eater Boston. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  16. ^ "Cafe chain CEO steps down amid discrimination complaints". Associated Press. 25 July 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  17. ^ Schwart, Penny (July 29, 2020). "Israeli CEO of Boston's Tatte bakery chain steps down amid discrimination accusations". The Jerusalem Post. Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
  18. ^ Plumb, Tierney (2020-08-25). "Tatte Bakery's First Location Outside of the Boston Area Opens in D.C. This Week". Eater DC. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  19. ^ "Tatte Bakery and Cafe opening 2nd D.C. Location in Dupont at the end of the month - PoPville". PoPville - Welcome to the beautiful life. 2020-11-18. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  20. ^ "Tatte Bakery is a small bakery with 21 locations, 17 locations in Boston & 4 locations in the DC area. The cafe offers pastries and desserts along with... | By DC Spot | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  21. ^ "Tatte Bakery & Cafe | Elegant Comfort Food - Desserts - Coffee | Boston". Tatte Bakery and Cafe. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  22. ^ Hurwitz, Marc (February 26, 2019). "Tatte Bakery & Cafe to Open at the Berklee College of Music in Boston's Back Bay". NBC Boston. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  23. ^ Gardizy, Anissa (January 10, 2020). "Another Tatte Bakery comes to downtown, at Emerson". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  24. ^ Hatic, Dana (2018-05-01). "Tatte's Takeover Reaches Toward Northeastern Next". Eater Boston. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  25. ^ a b "Tatte Bakery & Cafe | Food - Desserts - Coffee | Washington DC". Tatte Bakery and Cafe. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
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