From 52 Whole Foods Stores to 10 Restaurants: Inside The Granola Bar

Six months after their first farm stand order, Julie Mountain and Dana Noorily were selling granola in 52 Whole Foods stores and making almost nothing on it. On this episode of Behind the Numbers, the co-founders and co-CEOs of The Granola Bar explain why they abandoned CPG, how a cold call to a Dannon-owned yogurt shop led to a 1,200 square foot kitchen with an 800 square foot dining room attached, and how that store became a ten-location group.

The numbers run through the whole conversation: profitable in year one with no outside investors, Restaurant365 customer 421 out of more than 6,000, monthly QuickBooks P&Ls arriving two weeks late compared with daily reporting today, alcohol at under 5 percent of sales and what it changed at one location, a 3,200 square foot cellar kitchen supporting catering in a building that holds 2,600 people, and a menu still roughly 80 percent intact from 2013.

They also cover the new Midtown flagship at 330 Madison Avenue, the Takeaway concept near Grand Central, why they refuse to install kiosks, clairvoyant hospitality, hire slow and fire fast, and a hot take on AI.

Hosted by Marc Cohen and Rich Sweeney. Find Julie Mountain and Dana Noorily on LinkedIn. The Granola Bar operates ten locations across Connecticut and New York.

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