DILLON, MONT. — Great Harvest Bread Co. has signed five franchise agreements with new and existing franchisees that will bring the bakery-cafe concept to the additional markets of Grand Junction, Colo.; Northern Dallas; Long Island, N.Y.; Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Okla.; and Red Bank and Asbury Park, N.J.

Founded in 1976, Great Harvest operates nearly 200 locations across the United States, all of which offer breakfast, sandwiches, grain bowls, soups, salads, pastries and desserts. In 2017, the company introduced a “hub-and-spoke” franchise model, which allowed for rapid expansion across the United States.

Under the hub-and-spoke franchise model, franchisees may purchase a large territory that includes a single Great Harvest Bakery operation and as many cafe-only units as they want in surrounding towns. The bakery locations are equipped with ovens and ample space to produce and deliver the hand-milled bread to the nearby cafe-only locations throughout the day.

Great Harvest said the hub-and-spoke model allows its franchisee owners to own multiple locations under one agreement, while competing against segment rivals in all territories.

“We’re continuing to see franchise owners seek out the hub-and-spoke model, as it is the most efficient way to out-bake and out-localize the competition in high-traffic areas with as little as 1,500 square feet,” said Mike Ferretti, chairman and chief executive officer of Great Harvest Bread. “Additionally, with new Great Harvest locations, each owner is able to make it their own with our freedom franchise, which lets franchisees choose their own design, décor, menu selection and even set their own pricing and localize their marketing efforts.”

Last fall, Great Harvest reached an agreement with World Franchise Associates, an international franchise development consultancy, marketing and media company. As part of the agreement, W.F.A. is working to explore growth opportunities for Great Harvest in Europe, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, Japan and Canada.