The Nostalgic Bakery Chain That Is Slowly Making A Comeback

You may be able to find quality baked goods at some of your favorite grocery chains or make the treats part of your Costco haul, but there's nothing quite like popping into a local bakery for freshly made breads and sweets. In 2020, when restaurants were forced to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, many ultimately shuttered their doors for good that year or in 2021. One of those that was beloved by many was Specialty's Cafe & Bakery in California.

Originally opened in 1987 by Craig and Dawn Saxton in Mountain View, Specialty's sold cookies, sandwiches, and more. In 2017, the Saxtons sold the restaurant to a subsidiary of Fomento Económico Mexicano S.A.B., (FEMSA) which eventually filed bankruptcy on Specialty's after the COVID-19 closures wreaked havoc on the restaurant industry. By the time it was closed in 2021, the business had swelled to over 50 locations in California as well as Washington and Illinois.

After its closure, loyalists to the restaurant expressed disappointment, particularly noting that they'd miss the bakery's breakfasts and cookies. However, one Redditor forecasted the chain's return, saying, "Mark my words, Specialty's WILL be back in 2 years or less — with a fewer number of locations, each of which will be extremely profitable from the nostalgia factor alone." Sure enough, the Saxtons made a return to the original location less than a year after the bankruptcy was finalized and restarted the restaurant with the same concept. Since then, they have also opened a second location in Brisbane.

Specialty's Cafe & Bakery is still serving up its popular freshly baked cookies with flavors that range from Semi Sweet Chocolate Chunk, Milk Chocolate Chip, and Black and White to Chai Snickerdoodle, Oatmeal Wheatgerm Chocolate Chip, and Salted Rye Whiskey Dark Chocolate. Plus, it's also crafting housemade bread (including gluten-free varieties) that it uses for classic sandwiches like turkey, roast beef, and tuna salad. The menu also offers more complex combinations like Tex-Mex roast beef with chipotle pesto, tomatillo lime dressing, cotija, and cilantro, and a pulled chicken sandwich with aioli, balsamic onion jam, goat cheese, and arugula. Plus, diners can also grab salads, bowls, breakfast, and soups.

Reviewers of the Mountain View location are largely pleased with the reopened Specialty's Cafe & Bakery, praising the return of their favorite sandwiches and cookies as well as the no-contact pickup for online orders. One enthusiast on Yelp said, "I needed to go back for nostalgia's sake... Everything was flawless and exactly what I wanted."

Specialty's Cafe & Bakery has noted that it is concentrating on serving high-quality food and creating a positive customer experience in the limited locations that are open. And while there's no word yet on another Specialty's site, the Saxtons are open to growth if they see a market for it. Considering the following that their cookies have, and the fact that it takes a lot of patience to make bread at home, the demand for more nostalgia-inspiring reopenings may, in fact, be alive and well.