Specialty's Cafe & Bakery

What Specialty's Cafe & Bakery does

Specialty's Café & Bakery, Inc. is a privately held, founder-owned cafe-bakery and business catering operator founded in 1987 and headquartered in Mountain View, California. The company sells made-to-order sandwiches, salads, grain bowls, breakfast items, soups, cookies and desserts, and a full beverage program built on an exclusive partnership with Peet's Coffee & Tea. Distribution is omnichannel: physical cafe locations in Northern California (Mountain View, Brisbane), Southern California (LA, Orange County, San Diego), Washington (Seattle, Bellevue), and Illinois (Chicagoland), complemented by an online ordering website and iOS mobile app supporting pickup, delivery (minimum $25), and corporate catering. The corporate catering business targets enterprise clients with named accounts across technology, healthcare, education, and government, including Apple, Google, Amazon, Tesla, UCSF, Stanford, Kaiser, Gilead, AbbVie, Thermo Fisher, Johnson & Johnson, and the City of San Francisco.

The company's core technology is a proprietary online ordering and catering management platform that supports individual ordering, Group Invitation Ordering (GIO) for 5 to 1,000+ person groups, a Catering Assistant recommendation tool, B2B invoicing with PO authorization, saved quotes, SMS delivery tracking, and a corporate account management system. It owns a professional delivery fleet rather than relying on third-party gig services, and supports a Specialty's Rewards loyalty program where customers earn credits after 12 orders. The business also sells digital and physical eGift Cards and CookieGram gifting products.

The revenue model combines unit-priced retail food sales (sandwiches $11.95-$16.95, salads $12.95-$15.95, breakfast items $4.25-$7.95) with quote-based enterprise catering (catering packages $221-$299 for 10-12 people, platters up to $129, breakfast/sandwich/salad boxes $9.95+), recurring gift card and CookieGram sales, and a subscription-style loyalty credit mechanism. Specialty's filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2021 due to COVID-19 economic impact; original founders Craig and Dawn subsequently re-acquired and relaunched the business in a downsized, family-run form.

Name

Specialty's Cafe & Bakery

Legal name

Specialty's Café and Bakery, Inc.

Website

https://specialtys.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Specialty's Café & Bakery is a founder-owned cafe-bakery and corporate catering operator, founded 1987 and relaunched in 2021 after a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. It sells made-to-order sandwiches, salads, breakfast items, baked goods, and Peet's coffee through physical cafes across California, Washington, and Illinois, plus a proprietary online and B2B catering platform serving enterprise clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cafe & Bakery

NAICS

Restaurants and Other Eating Places (7225), Baked Goods Retailers (445291), Caterers (722320), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Cafe-Bakeries (Bakery + Coffee/Foodservice) (THAFAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dessert Cafes (Coffee + Desserts) (THAFADAH), Dessert & Bakery Catering (Cakes, Pastries, Candy) (HSACAGAI), DTC Bakery & Desserts Delivery (AFAIANAF)

Keywords

• Cafe bakery
• Corporate catering
• Online food ordering
• Food delivery service
• Bakery products

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Food Sales: Direct sales of made-to-order sandwiches, salads, breakfast items, baked goods, and beverages to individual consumers through cafe locations and online ordering with delivery or pickup.
2. Business Catering Services: Corporate catering orders including boxed lunches, sandwich/salad platters, breakfast packages, and full catering solutions for meetings and events. Features B2B invoicing, PO authorization, and corporate account billing.
3. Gift Cards (CookieGrams & eGift Cards): Sale of digital and physical gift cards in any denomination. CookieGram service allows sending actual cookies as gifts.
4. Specialty's Rewards Program: Loyalty program where customers earn credits after placing 12 orders. Credits based on average value of those orders. New rewards status tracked through My Account.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Specialty's Cafe & Bakery operates a multi-location cafe-bakery food service business offering made-to-order sandwiches, salads, breakfast items, soups, baked goods, and Peet's Coffee beverages via physical cafe locations, a website ordering platform, and an iOS mobile application. The company serves both individual consumers through retail dining, pickup, and delivery, and corporate clients through business catering with dedicated B2B invoicing, PO authorization, and a proprietary delivery fleet. Catering offerings support groups ranging from 1 to 1,000+ people through boxed meals, platters, and combination packages.

Product overview

Specialty's Cafe & Bakery operates a food service business centered on a web and mobile ordering platform, offering fresh-made sandwiches, salads, grain bowls, breakfast items, soups, cookies, desserts, and Peet's Coffee & Tea. The company serves both individual customers (via direct ordering) and businesses (via catering services). Catering offerings include boxed meals (breakfast boxes, sandwich boxes, salad boxes), platters (sandwich, salad, breakfast pastry, dessert, finger sandwich, fruit & veggie), and combination packages. Supporting services include Group Invitation Ordering (enabling attendees to self-select meals), Catering Assistant (recommendation tool), Specialty's Rewards loyalty program, and gifting products (CookieGrams and eGift Cards). The company also provides an online account management system for order history, quotes, and payment preferences. Specialty's was founded in 1987, underwent Chapter 7 bankruptcy during COVID-19, and relaunched in 2021 under original founders Craig and Dawn.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sandwiches Fresh-made made-to-order sandwiches including classic turkey, roast beef, BLT, Caprese, BBQ pulled chicken, turkey pesto, vegetarian, and vegan options, plus breakfast sandwiches. Available for individual purchase and as part of catering packages.
• Salads and Bowls Fresh prepared salads including Cobb, Mexican Chop, Mixed Greens, Spicy Thai Peanut, Spinach Berry Goat Cheese, Chinese Chicken, and Gluten-free Roasted Beet Goat Cheese, plus grain bowls including Bounty Bowl, Korean BBQ Bowl, and Southwest Bowl.
• Soups Soup offerings available as a menu category for individual ordering and catering.
• Breakfast Morning menu including breakfast sandwiches (Bacon, Ham, Cheese, Denver, Southwest, Spinach & Mushroom), muffins, scones, sweet croissants, savory croissants, quiche, eggs, yogurt cups, steel-cut oats, and fresh fruit.
• Cookies & Desserts Baked goods including cookies (White Chocolate Cranberry, Semi Sweet Chocolate Chunk, Milk Chocolate Chip, Black and White, Chai Snickerdoodle, Oatmeal Wheatgerm Chocolate Chip), brownies, cakes, rugelach, palmiers, gift boxes, and sweet rolls.
• Peet's Coffee & Tea Full beverage program featuring Peet's Coffee (Major Dickason's, Big Bang, Decaf), espresso beverages, cold brews, hot tea, chai, iced tea, tea lattes, frappes, and non-coffee options. Served in cafe locations and available as catering beverage boxes.
• Drinks, Chips & Sides Beverages and sides including still and sparkling waters, bottled tea, soft drinks, kombucha, juices, and Miss Vickie's potato chips in Sea Salt, Vinegar & Sea Salt, Smokehouse BBQ, and Jalapeno varieties.
• Business Catering Service Business catering service offering breakfast boxes, sandwich boxes, salad boxes, platters, and packages for groups of 1 to 1,000+ people. Includes boxed meals, sandwich/salad platters, breakfast pastry trays, dessert platters, beverage service, and customizable menu options with B2B invoicing and PO authorization.
• The Everyday Favorites Package Catering package featuring Classic Sandwich Platter, Mixed Greens Salad Platter, and 10 assorted beverages. Serves 10-12 people.
• The Executive Choice Package Premium catering package with Deluxe Sandwich Platter, Mexican Chop Salad Platter, Bite-size Cookie Platter, and 10 assorted chips. Serves 10-12 people.
• Holiday Harvest Package Seasonally themed catering package including Holiday Harvest Sandwich Platter and Roasted Beet & Goat Cheese Salad Platter.
• Sweet & Savory Sampler Package Assorted catering package including Classic Finger Sandwich Platter, Fruit Brie & Nut Platter, Bite-sized Cookie Platter, and 10 assorted Pellegrinos.
• Sandwich Boxes Individual boxed sandwiches for catering including Waldorf Chicken, Turkey Apple Brie & Bacon, Beef and Blue, Pot Roast Beef, TexMex Roast Beef, Pulled Chicken, BBQ Pulled Chicken, Turkey with Cranberry Chutney, Shaved Ham, Classic Turkey, Classic Roast Beef, Classic Ham, Classic Tuna, Chickpea Vegetarian, BLT, Turkey Pesto, Caprese, Vegetarian, and The Vegan.
• Salad Boxes Individual boxed salads for catering including Cobb, Mexican Chop, Roasted Beet, Mixed Greens, Spicy Thai Peanut, Spinach Berry Goat Cheese, Chinese Chicken, and Gluten-free Roasted Beet boxed lunches.
• Breakfast Boxes Individual boxed breakfast items for catering including Quiche Box, Vegan Yogurt Box, Oatmeal Box, Cheese Breakfast Sandwich Box, Bacon Breakfast Sandwich Box, Ham Breakfast Sandwich Box, Denver Breakfast Sandwich Box, Southwest Breakfast Sandwich Box, and Spinach & Mushroom Breakfast Sandwich Box.
• Sandwich Platters Platter-style catering options including Classic Sandwich Platter (18 half-sandwiches) and Deluxe Sandwich Platter (18 premium half-sandwiches), plus build-your-own options.
• Salad Platters Large-format salad platters for catering including Cobb Salad Platter, Mexican Chop Platter, Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Platter, Mixed Greens Salad Platter, Spicy Thai Peanut Salad Platter, Spinach Berry Goat Cheese Salad Platter, and Chinese Chicken Salad Platter.
• Breakfast Platters Assorted breakfast platters for catering including Breakfast Pastry Platter, Savory Croissant Platter, Fruit Salad Platter, Mini Pastry Platter, Mini Savory Croissant Platter, Mini Butter Croissant Platter, and Mini Cinnamon Roll Platter.
• Dessert Platters Catering dessert options including Cookie Platter (12 signature cookies with 4oz Guittard chocolate ribbons), Bite-sized Cookie Platter (3 dozen mini cookies), Tart Platter (assorted flavors including White Chocolate Ganache, Pecan Frangipane, Chocolate Babka Espresso, Dark Chocolate Ganache), Rugelach Mini Sampler Tray, and Palmier Mini Sampler Tray.
• Finger Sandwich Platters Mini sandwich platters for catering including Classic Finger Sandwiches (Turkey Pesto, Turkey Cranberry, Shaved Ham, Pulled Chicken on focaccia) and Vegetarian Finger Sandwiches (Vegetarian and Caprese on focaccia). 16 mini sandwiches per platter.
• Fruit & Veggie Platters Appetizer platters for catering including Veggie Platter (cucumber, carrot, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes with buttermilk ranch) and Fruit Brie & Nut Platter (brie with crackers, nuts, grapes, strawberries).
• Beverages (Catering) Catering beverage options including Peet's Major Dickason Coffee Box, Peet's Big Bang Coffee Box, Peet's Decaf Coffee Box, Peet's Hot Tea Box, and Simply Orange Juice - 46oz.
• CookieGrams Cookie gift delivery service allowing customers to send warm Specialty's cookies with customizable messages for occasions such as Thank You, Happy Birthday, or Just Because.
• eGift Cards Digital gift cards available in any denomination, enabling recipients to order from Specialty's menu. Browseable designs available for purchase.
• Specialty's Rewards Customer loyalty program where customers earn credits after placing 12 orders. Specialty's Rewards members receive credits for the average value of those orders. Also includes Big Rewards program for catering orders over $25.

Quantifiable outcome

• Orders for groups of 1 to 1,000+ people supported through same ordering system
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Peet's Coffee & TeacoreTechnology or IntegrationSpecialty's serves Peet's Coffee products exclusively, including Major Dickason's, Big Bang, and Decaf coffee, as well as Peet's tea products. Coffee boxes serve 12 people and are available for catering orders. Peet's products featured throughout the beverage menu including espresso drinks, cold brews, and tea lattes.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Corner Bakery Cafe: National cafe-bakery chain offering sandwiches, salads, breakfast and catering for groups. Nearly identical menu architecture and catering-led GTM to Specialty's.
• Le Pain Quotidien: Cafe-bakery concept with communal table service, fresh bread, salads and pastries. Comparable product mix and cafe-bakery positioning.
• Noah's New York Bagels: Bagel-led cafe-bakery chain with breakfast sandwiches, spreads and catering trays. Closely comparable on breakfast/catering positioning and cafe format.
• Panera Bread: Largest US cafe-bakery chain combining bakery items, sandwiches, salads and coffee with strong catering. Closest direct comparable on cafe-bakery format and corporate catering positioning.
• La Boulangerie: Bay Area bakery-cafe serving sandwiches, salads, pastries and coffee. Direct geographic and concept overlap with Specialty's Mountain View / SF Bay Area locations.
• Boudin Bakery: Bay Area-rooted bakery-cafe chain with retail bakeries plus catering. Highly comparable on geographic overlap (Northern California) and bakery + foodservice model.

Broad incumbents

• ezCater: Largest US corporate catering marketplace aggregating thousands of restaurants for business orders. Competes with Specialty's for the same corporate catering demand, but through a platform model.
• Starbucks: Dominant coffee chain with bakery and food menu at retail locations; parent of the La Boulangerie concept. Competes for cafe foot traffic and corporate beverage catering, though without Specialty's B2B catering depth.

Emerging players

• Fooda: Workplace food and catering platform running pop-ups and corporate meal programs. Targets the same office-dining pain points as Specialty's catering but via a marketplace model.
• CaterTrax: Catering management software used by restaurants and corporate operators. Competes indirectly by enabling other restaurants to compete with Specialty's in the enterprise catering channel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/specialtys

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Specialty's Cafe & Bakery