Bread Winners Celebrates 20 Years
Bread Winners Cafe, whose Uptown location opened July 22, 1994, is celebrating its 20th anniversary tomorrow.
The restaurant was thought up long before its opening, when owners Jim and Cindy Hughes were young newlyweds in Omaha, Neb. A friend of theirs owned a restaurant that was closing called Bread Winners. Before the couple moved to Dallas, they bought the name for $1, with the intent of someday opening their own location.
The Hughes settled into their apartment in Uptown, before it was known as Uptown, and noticed a restaurant called Verlaine’s on the corner of McKinney and Hall, whose quirky charm and proximity to downtown sparked their interest. Verlaine’s was in the process of closing, so the Hughes purchased it, made some renovations, and opened for business 20 years ago.
Bread Winners started out with 10 employees and a nearly empty bank account. The cafe now boasts four locations, 450 employees, and corporate catering services. All four of the Hughes’ children have worked in the restaurant, along with both sets of their parents. Bread Winners has won several local awards for its menu and bakery items, and has developed SoleMates, organic treats for pets.
The cafe is celebrating the milestone by hosting a cake ball challenge, which will provide four lucky customers with free Bread Winners for a year. For more information about the contest, visit the restaurant’s website.
