Metropolitan Bakery
Metropolitan Bakery is a Philadelphia-based artisan bakery founded in 1993, producing hand-crafted breads, pastries, and granola sold through retail, wholesale, and online channels. Following a March 2025 transition, wholesale production was licensed to Merzbacher's of Germantown while the Rittenhouse Square retail location closed.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersPhiladelphia, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Metropolitan Bakery does
Metropolitan Bakery is a Philadelphia-based artisan bakery founded in November 1993 by Wendy Smith Born and James Barrett. The company specializes in hand-crafted breads, rolls, pastries, granola, and related baked goods produced using traditional European methods, including natural starter fermentation, a two-day long-slow-cool rise process, and baking in steam-injected stone-deck Bongard ovens. Production historically occurred at a 10,000-square-foot facility in the Fishtown neighborhood, with average daily output of approximately 2,000 individual breads, rolls, and pastries. The bakery also operated a pizza concept, Metropolitan Pizza, as a distinct product line.
The company sells through multiple distribution channels: company-owned retail locations (formerly Rittenhouse Square and Metropolitan Pizza), direct-to-consumer online ordering for pickup and delivery via Shopify and Square, third-party delivery platforms (DoorDash, Caviar, Grubhub), and wholesale distribution to specialty shops, co-ops, and markets throughout the Philadelphia region. The bakery serves fine dining restaurants (Barbuzzo, Vernick Food & Drink, Jose Garces' Volver, Farmicia, Lacroix at the Rittenhouse, and Friday Saturday Sunday among others) and individual consumers in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The wholesale channel has historically used licensing-style arrangements, with recipes and techniques transferred to production partners.
In March 2025, after 32 years in business, Metropolitan Bakery transitioned its wholesale production to Peter Merzbacher of Merzbacher's of Germantown and closed its Rittenhouse Square retail location. Wholescale production is now handled by Merzbacher's under recipe and technique licensing, with products continuing to be available online and at specialty shops throughout the region. The company is a privately held, founder-owned enterprise with no institutional investment, no funding rounds, and no public revenue disclosure.
Metropolitan Bakery firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Metropolitan Bakery
- Legal name
- Metropolitan Bakery
- Website
- https://metropolitanbakery.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Metropolitan Bakery is a Philadelphia-based artisan bakery founded in 1993, producing hand-crafted breads, pastries, and granola sold through retail, wholesale, and online channels. Following a March 2025 transition, wholesale production was licensed to Merzbacher's of Germantown while the Rittenhouse Square retail location closed.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Metropolitan Bakery industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Artisan Bakery
- NAICS
- Retail Bakeries (311811), Bread and Bakery Product Manufacturing (31181), Baked Goods Retailers (445291), Commercial Bakeries (311812)
- SIC
- Bakery Products (2050), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Retail Bakeries (Bread & Daily Bakery) (THAFAFAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Wholesale / Commercial Bakeries (B2B Supply) (THAFAFAF), Bread & Pastry Specialty Stores (CRAHAGAC), Bakery & Desserts Distribution (CRAOABAE)
Keywords
Where Metropolitan Bakery is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Philadelphia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices16 records
Markets served
Metropolitan Bakery business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Retail Sales: Direct sales through company-owned retail storefronts and cafes in Philadelphia
- Wholesale Distribution: Breads, rolls, and granola sold through specialty shops and markets throughout the Philadelphia region under the Metropolitan Bakery brand using recipes and techniques licensed to Merzbacher's of Germantown
- Online Sales: Direct-to-consumer online ordering with pickup and delivery options
- Third-Party Delivery: Delivery through third-party platforms including DoorDash, Caviar, and Grubhub
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Metropolitan Bakery product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Metropolitan Bakery produces artisan hand-crafted breads, rolls, brownies, biscotti, muffins, cannelle, fruit tarts, cookies, and award-winning granolas using old-world natural starter fermentation and a long-slow-cool rise process, averaging 2,000 individual items per day from its 10,000-square-foot Fishtown facility. Products are sold direct-to-consumer through retail storefronts, online ordering, and third-party delivery, and are also distributed wholesale to specialty shops and fine dining restaurants throughout the Philadelphia region, with production recipes and techniques now licensed to Merzbacher's of Germantown following a 2025 transition.
Product overview
Metropolitan Bakery is a Philadelphia-based artisan bakery offering hand-crafted breads, pastries, and baked goods through multiple channels. The core products include hand-crafted breads, rolls, brownies, biscotti, muffins, canela, fruit tarts, cookies, and award-winning granolas. The company also operates Metropolitan Pizza as a distinct product line. Following a 2025 transition, the wholesale production was transferred to Merzbacher's of Germantown, which now produces breads and granola using Metropolitan's recipes. Products are available for online ordering, pickup at Rittenhouse and Metro Pizza locations, delivery through DoorDash/Caviar/Grubhub, and at specialty shops throughout the Philadelphia region.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Merzbacher's: Merzbacher's of Germantown - production partner for Metropolitan Bakery's breads, rolls, and granola using original recipes and time-honored techniques
- Metropolitan Pizza
- Metropolitan Gallery 250
Products and services
- Artisan Hand-Crafted Breads, Rolls, Pastries and Granola Hand-crafted artisan breads, rolls, pastries, and award-winning granolas made using natural starter fermentation and the long-slow-cool rise process, produced at the Fishtown facility and sold to consumers and wholesale customers.
- Metropolitan Pizza Artisan pizza offering available through the Metropolitan Pizza location, available for pickup and delivery via DoorDash, Caviar, and Grubhub.
- Merzbacher's of Germantown Breads (Licensed Production) Breads, rolls, and granola produced under license by Merzbacher's of Germantown using Metropolitan Bakery's original recipes and techniques, distributed online and through specialty shops throughout the Philadelphia region.
Quantifiable outcome
- Served in many of Philadelphia's finest restaurants
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Metropolitan Bakery
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Metropolitan Bakery technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature3 records
Metropolitan Bakery partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Merzbacher's of Germantown (Peter Merzbacher)flagshipMetropolitan Bakery transitioned its wholesale business to Peter Merzbacher of Merzbacher's of Germantown. Merzbacher's continues to produce Metropolitan Bakery's breads, rolls, and granola using the original recipes and time honored techniques.
- DiBruno Bros.coreWholesale distribution location at 1730 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia
- Rittenhouse MarketcoreWholesale distribution location at 1733 Spruce Street, Philadelphia
- PA General StorecoreWholesale distribution location at Reading Terminal Market, 1136 Arch Street, Philadelphia
- Weaver's Way Co-opcoreWholesale distribution in Mt. Airy, Chestnut Hill, and Germantown locations
- Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-OpcoreNonprofit organic farmers cooperative of 75 farmers. Metropolitan Bakery sources ingredients from local farmers through this partnership. Rittenhouse location serves as a CSA pickup site.
- Farm to CityminorPhiladelphia program uniting communities, families, and farmers year-round through locally grown food
- Highland OrchardsminorFamily-run fruit, vegetable, and egg farm in Wilmington, Delaware. Rittenhouse location serves as farm share pickup site.
- Philly FoodworksminorDiverse group of producers and distributors. Rittenhouse location serves as CSA pickup site.
- Project H.O.M.EcoreNonprofit organization providing housing and services to end homelessness in Philadelphia. Metropolitan Bakery participates in job training programs.
- Broad Street MinistryminorCommunity organization practicing radical hospitality. Collection jar at Rittenhouse shop helps provide meals, clothing, mail service, and therapeutic art classes.
- Metropolitan Gallery 250minorNon-profit gallery where emerging artists can show their work, supported by local food and business communities
- Bennett CompostingminorEnvironmentally conscious removal of organic materials serving the Greater Philadelphia region
- Reading Terminal MarketcoreHistoric public market with over 100 merchants. PA General Store wholesale location at this venue.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Metropolitan Bakery competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- La Brea Bakery: California-based artisan bread brand specializing in naturally leavened breads with national grocery and foodservice distribution. Comparable hand-crafted bread positioning with a much larger wholesale footprint.
- Panera Bread: National bakery-cafe chain serving artisan-style breads, pastries, and cafe items. Competes for similar breakfast/light-meal occasions with a vastly larger footprint and stronger digital/delivery infrastructure.
- Boudin Bakery: Historic San Francisco sourdough bakery with retail locations, wholesale, and branded consumer products. A scaled artisan-bread incumbent with similar fermentation-based bread heritage and retail/wholesale channels.
- Le Pain Quotidien: International bakery-cafe chain offering artisan breads, pastries, and cafe fare. Operates at significantly broader scale and competes in the same artisan-bakery-cafe category with overlapping product and customer profiles.
Direct peers
- Merzbacher's of Germantown: Philadelphia artisan bakery that now produces Metropolitan Bakery's wholesale breads, rolls, and granola under a recipe-licensing arrangement after the March 2025 transition. Operates as both the closest peer and production successor.
- Amy's Bread: New York City-based artisan bakery producing hand-crafted breads and pastries for retail, wholesale, and restaurant customers — closely analogous business model (retail + wholesale + restaurant supply) in a comparable Northeast metro.
- Tartine Bakery: San Francisco-based artisan bakery known for natural-leaven breads and pastries, with retail locations and wholesale distribution. Comparable craft positioning, fermentation-based bread program, and chef/restaurant relationships.
- Maison Kayser: French-founded artisan boulangerie operating retail stores in U.S. cities with traditional European bread techniques (natural starter, long fermentation). Closely aligned product methodology and premium positioning.
Emerging players
- Tatte Bakery & Cafe: Boston-born artisan bakery and cafe expanding across the East Coast with European-style pastries, breads, and cafe fare. Represents the next-generation scaled artisan competitor pursuing similar metro-premium positioning.
Others
- Whole Foods Market (Bakery): National specialty grocer with an in-store bakery program that competes for premium-bread consumer occasions; also a key distribution channel for artisan bread brands and a relevant benchmark for specialty retail partnerships.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Metropolitan Bakery social profiles
Digital presenceMetropolitan Bakery financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Metropolitan Bakery leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Metropolitan Bakery funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Metropolitan Bakery M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Metropolitan Bakery
What does Metropolitan Bakery do?
Metropolitan Bakery produces artisan hand-crafted breads, rolls, brownies, biscotti, muffins, cannelle, fruit tarts, cookies, and award-winning granolas using old-world natural starter fermentation and a long-slow-cool rise process, averaging 2,000 individual items per day from its 10,000-square-foot Fishtown facility. Products are sold direct-to-consumer through retail storefronts, online ordering, and third-party delivery, and are also distributed wholesale to specialty shops and fine dining restaurants throughout the Philadelphia region, with production recipes and techniques now licensed to Merzbacher's of Germantown following a 2025 transition.
Is Metropolitan Bakery a public or private company?
Metropolitan Bakery is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Metropolitan Bakery founded?
Metropolitan Bakery was founded in 1993. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Metropolitan Bakery based?
Metropolitan Bakery is headquartered in Philadelphia, United States, in the North America region.
How does Metropolitan Bakery make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Retail Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale Distribution, online Sales and third-Party Delivery.
Who are Metropolitan Bakery's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are La Brea Bakery, Panera Bread, Boudin Bakery and Le Pain Quotidien. Direct peers are Merzbacher's of Germantown, Amy's Bread, Tartine Bakery and Maison Kayser. Tatte Bakery & Cafe is listed as an emerging player. Whole Foods Market (Bakery) is listed as an others.
Does Metropolitan Bakery have an API?
No public API is recorded for Metropolitan Bakery.
What industry is Metropolitan Bakery in?
Metropolitan Bakery's product category is Artisan Bakery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAFAA, Retail Bakeries (Bread & Daily Bakery), with a secondary code of THAFAFAF, Wholesale / Commercial Bakeries (B2B Supply). Its NAICS code is 311811 and its SIC code is 2050.