Sarasota's popular bakery Bread Bandits has opened a second location — and Lakewood Ranch is already showing up.
"Still feeling so grateful for all of the support these past two weeks," the bakery sharedon Facebook. "Lakewood Ranch, we're so happy to be here."
The Toronto-born bakery, which made its Sarasota debut in September 2023 at a corner plaza near Siesta Drive and South Osprey Avenue, has officially opened at 8130 Lakewood Main St., Suite 103, in Lakewood Ranch's downtown corridor.
Co-owners Jules Thuet and Brad Rutledge — both Toronto natives who relocated to Sarasota during the pandemic and built their following through Gulf Gate pop-ups before opening their first brick-and-mortar — are bringing the same handcrafted European-style breads,
buttery croissants and naturally leavened loaves to the new location.
The expansion followed appearances at The Market at Waterside Lakewood Ranch.
"Main Street in Lakewood Ranch gives our regular market customers a permanent, seven-day-a-week home to grab fresh bread and pastries without waiting for the weekend," Thuet said. "The community vibe definitely aligns with a neighborhood bakery feel — a walkable, gathering spot for people who value slow fermentation, quality ingredients and traditional craftsmanship."
The new location also brings something the Sarasota shop doesn't have — what Thuet described as a state-of-the-art croissant lamination suite that will allow the team to expand its pastry offerings in both sweet and savory directions, Thuet told the Herald-Tribune.
The storefront also features a curated pantry section spotlighting goods from fellow local artisans and makers, including hand-poured bread basket candles made with a custom Bread Bandits scent.
"Looking back to when we first opened our doors on Osprey Avenue, the reception has been completely surreal," Thuet said. "We started with a simple commitment to sharing our passion for slow fermentation, traditional methods and high-quality ingredients — no shortcuts — and the Sarasota community embraced us immediately. Seeing that same energy carry over to Main Street, having sold out multiple times over our first two weeks, is incredibly humbling."
As for what comes next, Thuet said the priority is consistency over rapid growth.
"Our priority will always be quality over rapid scaling," he said. "We want to fully dial in the Lakewood Ranch shop, maximize what we can do with the new lamination facility and maintain consistency across both locations."
"No one makes their own bread anymore, but we still want to give people that bread that our grandparents and their parents and their parents ate," Thuet told the Herald-Tribune in 2023. "That's what we're used to and that's what we are baking here."
The expansion comes as Bread Bandits has expanded its presence in the Sarasota-Manatee food scene.
Where to find Bread Bandits
The bakery's wholesale reach now spans local businesses including the St. Regis Longboat Key, The Founders Club, Hamlet's Eatery, Veronica Fish & Oyster, The 1818 Grill, Gamble Creek Farm, Postal 98 Cafe, Le Shop on St. Armands Circle, Arts Central, Pura Vida and Le Mans.
Both locations are open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The bakery also appears at the Venice Farmers Market on Saturdays and the Lakewood Ranch Farmers Market on Sundays. Pre-orders and more information are available at breadbandits.com or by emailing bakerboys@breadbandits.com.
Support local journalism by subscribing to the Herald Tribune.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Popular Sarasota bakery opens second location in Lakewood Ranch
