A new retail bakery could open this winter at the former Bruegger’s Bagels site in the Village of Fox Point.
Nothing Bundt Cakes, a high-end bakery franchise, has been proposed for a 2,250-square-foot retail space at the Audubon Court shopping center, located at 383 W. Brown Deer Road.
The Addison, Texas-based company, which operates over 260 bakeries nationwide, sells a variety of customizable bundt cakes made daily in-house, as well as related retail items including plates, wine glasses, mugs and giftware.
The village’s Plan Commission yesterday reviewed plans submitted by franchisee Abed Khatib for a $220,000 interior build-out of the space, and recommended approval of a requested conditional use permit, according to an application submitted to the village. The Village Board will consider the recommendation on Sept. 13.
Depending on the board’s decision, Khatib hopes to open the store by December, just in time for the holiday rush, he said. The Fox Point bakery would be Nothing Bundt Cakes’ second franchise in the state. It opened its first Wisconsin location in November at 18000 W. Bluemound Road in Brookfield.
“The product is so versatile,” Khatib said. “We really have a way to celebrate anything.”
The carry-out only bakery offers 10 flavors of bundt cakes, ranging from the traditional eight-and-10-inch-cakes to miniature bundt cakes, called Bundlets, or bite-sized bundt cakes, called Bundtinis. Cake orders are freshly baked, frosted, and– for an extra cost– decorated before they are boxed and ready for pick-up.
“Beyond having a great product, (Nothing Bundt Cakes) has a mom and pop feel with the corporate support we want,” Khatib said.
Khatib will be the store’s main operator, but his wife Brittany Khatib, who works as a school librarian, has assisted him in the franchising process, and will likely help at the store during busy seasons, he said. After all, Abed said Brittany was a “huge driver” in his decision to buy a franchise.
The couple first tried Nothing Bundt Cakes in 2016 when Brittany was eight months pregnant with their first child. They “fell in love” with the product, and upon Brittany’s request, Abed made frequent three-hour trips to Illinois to pick up cake orders from the then-nearest location.
He eventually contacted the company to inquire about a Wisconsin expansion, and they asked if he, himself would be interested in owning a franchise.
Abed recently attended a month-long training course to learn how to bake, which, he said, is a brand new skill set.
“Baking wasn’t an interest of mine previously, but customer service and customer satisfaction were, and that closely aligns with the company’s values,” he said.
The bakery would be open Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
