Great Harvest NWA, a new bakery and cafe with a drive-through, is now open at 2401 Southeast J Street in Bentonville.
Everything is made fresh daily in an open kitchen where customers can see the process.
Menu offerings include:
Pastries, cinnamon rolls, muffins, scones, and — of course — several types of bread
Breakfast sandwiches and sandwiches, salads, and soups for lunch
Full coffee bar
Take-home mixes, honeys and jams, gift baskets, and other retail items
Current hours are Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., although these may shift in the coming months. The team promises generous product samples for anyone who stops by to check out the spot.
The bakery is a partnership between Tonya Kissinger and Dusty and Karla White. All three have corporate backgrounds but are newcomers to the restaurant industry (not including part time jobs in their teenage years).
This is the first Great Harvest location in Arkansas, but the company has franchises in 38 other states. The owners refer to the relationship as a “freedom franchise” — they can run the business their way, while the national office provides recipes and backend support.
Karla and Dusty first visited a Great Harvest bakery on a trip to Montana. Though they were initially hesitant about entering the restaurant industry, that visit changed their minds.
“I just felt like God was speaking to me, saying we needed to do it,” Karla said. “We had worked in corporate America, where you have this false sense of security. You work your tail end off and feel like you're going to be taken care of, and that just doesn't always happen. So we wanted to provide a space where we reward people for their hard work.”
The three owners have known each other for about a decade. What started as a professional relationship grew into a close personal friendship, with their families spending holidays together.
As they grew more passionate about the idea, Dusty and Karla nudged Tonya about joining their effort. She had dreamed about opening a restaurant when she was younger, but felt that window had passed.
“At first I was like, no, no, I'm too old to be doing this,” Tonya said.
But an unexpected end to her corporate job was the push she needed to get involved.
“Before I knew it, I was like, okay, I’m going to do this with you,” she said, adding that she’s always loved hosting and baking.
